FROMENTAL AND LALIQUE COLLABORATE ON ‘HIRONDELLES’ A NEW SILK WALLCOVERING DESIGN
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British wallcovering atelier Fromental and French crystal house Lalique have collaborated to produce a stunning handcrafted silk wallcovering which has been expertly hand painted and finely embroidered by master craftspeople to cleverly incorporate Lalique crystal. ‘Hirondelles’ is a highly decorated chinoiserie pattern in a winding composition with open spaces to accommodate Lalique Hirondelles (swallows) and Dahlia’s in satin finish crystal. The Hirondelles – Lalique’s 130t h anniversary symbol – were a constant source of inspiration for René Lalique and were at the centrepiece of many jewels and decorative objects. In 1931, René Lalique designed the Dahlia pattern to adorn the face powder boxes which were part of the beauty rituals of every woman in the ‘Belle Époque’ period. For the Fromental collaboration, Lalique has created the classic Dahlia design in gold lustre – sprayed with 18 carat gold dust.
The selected design has as silk background brushed with iridescent pearl that mimics the soft shimmer of frosted crystal. The flowers are hand painted and embroidered to give them a sense of movement, depth and growth and embellished lastly with Lalique Dahlias. At the Lalique factory, its ‘Meilleurs Ouvriers de France’ (Best Craftsmen in France) created the bespoke pieces for Fromental. Each Dahlia is individually signed by hand and then sprayed with 18 carat gold dust to get a champagne lustre colour without the usual black enamelled point at the heart to ensure a better fit with the composition. The result is a vibrant, yet balanced piece which creates an aura of serenity.
At the core of Fromental is a love for exquisitely handcrafted products, tailored in quality and detail. Master artisans work in Fromental’s studio in Suzhou, the Chinese Imperial City of embroidery, to bring to life the intricate designs through constant experimentation and innovation, creating product perfection.
“Lalique evokes the brilliance of luminosity and we wanted to ensure we captured this in the design we created for the Conduit Street store. Historically, Chinese painting consists of stylised forms from natural elements, so to fuse this Lalique’s designs was an intriguing idea which we felt we had to pursue. We used the structure of one of our Chinoiserie patterns and adapted it to contain the stylised Lalique dahlia and swallow. In doing this, we were able to bring the shapes to life.” Tim Butcher, co-founder Fromental.
“Both Lalique and Fromental share a common passion for creative excellence, with nature a fertile source of inspiration. At our first meeting Tim told me he had always admired Rene Lalique’s drawings and his creation of crystal objets d’art. With further conversation I knew we had to do something incorporating the Hirondelles wall sculptures and the Dahlia, which is reminiscent of my childhood and my mother’s Dahlia Box on her dressing table. We are proud to propagate our know-how learned over some 130 years through collaborations with contemporary artists such as Fromental.” Frederick Fischer, managing director, Lalique (UK).
The wallcovering is a custom piece designed for the individual interior with each Lalique piece being expertly placed to reflect the light on the crystal. The Dahlia and Shallow wall sculptures come in three different sizes each one comes with a magnet (or a screw on the Dahlia’s) enabling the piece to be positioned in graphic play the wall.
The Hirondelles design is created to custom order where each Lalique piece will be positioned by the designers for maximum effect.
Link to the collection:
https://fromental.co.uk/collections/collaborations/lalique/
For further information please contact:
LALIQUE LIMITED
47 Conduit Street, London, W1S 2YP
02072920444
ffischer@lalique.fr
