Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier Gallery opens in Paris

Two years ago, the interior architect Pierre Yovanovitch launched his furniture brand, responding to demand from clients wanting to order his bespoke pieces. A runaway success, Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier quickly outgrew its Paris showroom, a hôtel particulier in the 2nd arrondissement. So when Yovanovitch heard of an available 250 sq m space in central Paris, he jumped at the opportunity. 'It was a former fashion atelier, redesigned by architect Jean Nouvel, that [film director] Claude Berri bought in 2008,' he explains. 'I visited and immediately fell in love with it.'

Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier Gallery

On 12 October 2023, Yovanovitch will inaugurate the space, his first gallery-style showroom in a hidden passage, steps from the Centre Pompidou and the art galleries of the Marais. Behind a recessed glass wall, the showroom is organised into different types of rooms, bathed in natural light from an overhead atrium. A lover and collector of contemporary art, Yovanovitch (a 2020 Wallpaper* Design Awards judge, and 2019 Designer of the Year) has surrounded his furniture with artworks by the likes of Francesco Vezzoli, Raymond Hains, and Alicja Kwade, lent by his gallerist friends.

The new space allows him to present larger pieces of furniture, such as the ‘Mindy’ sofa, with a long curved back made from panels of solid oak, or the massive ‘Donut Bench’, originally designed for a home in Switzerland, its circular oak base lined with cracks and crevices from the logs. 'It makes you think about the tree it came from,' says the designer.

Iconic works, like the ‘Clam’ chair and ‘Stella’ table, are shown alongside new pieces, such as the ‘Lisa’ sideboard, crafted in ash, which Yovanovitch says is relatively discreet: 'At first it gives the impression it’s trying not to be seen, but then it seduces with its texture and pale colour.'

His highly coveted ‘Asymmetry’ armchair, with geometric lines like a carved block of stone, first appeared ten years ago. Now he is celebrating the milestone with a special ‘Asymmetry Anniversary’ edition of ten, each one unique, conceived with the French artist Claire Tabouret, whom he considers one of today’s great figurative artists. He bought one of her large paintings of children in 2012; soon after, they met and became friends. When Yovanovitch asked her to paint a fresco on a chapel at his house in the south of France, she covered the walls and ceiling with the images of 82 children.

The angles of the ‘Asymmetry’ armchair made her think of kites, which she painted with children’s faces. The kites’ tails follow the lines of the chairs, sometimes interlacing crazily. 'Childhood and play are very present in both our creative approaches,' says Yovanovitch. 'You have to hold a kite by its string, if you let it go it flies away. It’s fragile, which is a lovely metaphor.'

Three exceptional craft ateliers collaborated on the anniversary collection. As always, the Ateliers Jouffre in Lyon upholstered the chairs, a challenging task because of the curves. The 260+-year-old Manufacture Royale Bonvallet dyed the satin and wool fabrics according to Tabouret’s colour selection. And L’Atelier Caraco, which normally creates couture clothing for cinema and theatre, sewed the kite motifs like a collage.

The 10 armchairs will be presented at the gallery 12-26 October, timed to coincide with Paris+ par Art Basel. A week prior, seven them had already been bought by contemporary art collectors.

After the Paris gallery opens, Yovanovitch will fly to New York for the November inauguration of his first US gallery, in the heart of Chelsea. This showroom will be even bigger than the Paris one, as New York is his largest market by far. What remains to be seen is whether it’s big enough to satisfy his clients.

Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier Paris
Gallery 4 Passage St. Avoye
75003 Paris

Open Monday through Saturday 10AM - 6PM

pierreyovanovitch.com

In pictures: ‘Asymmetry’ armchair series by Pierre Yovanovitch and Claire Tabouret