How a Hotel Collaboration Turned Into a Furniture Collection for Pierre-Yves Rochon and Giorgetti
MILAN — At the two Michelin-starred L’Orangerie at Paris’ Four Seasons George V, where egg yolks and sea bream are served up like works of contemporary art, a furniture collaboration was born.
In February, French interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon and Italian furniture-maker Giorgetti came together to design one-of-a-kind bespoke tables to intertwine with chef Alan Taudon’s vision for pescatarian and vegetarian cuisine. When the two entities got together, they decided to draw inspiration from the form of a flower, symbolizing a deep connection with nature. That vision quickly became a collection — in a new version, which is now being sold in Giorgetti boutiques worldwide.
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The collection, named Floria, is comprised of one model in different sizes and was crafted in the image of delicate flower petals. Characterized by organic forms and oval shapes, each table is covered by a marble top and juxtaposed with leather-covered legs.
“This collection embodies the ideal harmony between aesthetics and functionality, with every detail carefully considered to enhance the art of conviviality,” Giorgetti Group chief executive officer Giovanni del Vecchio told WWD.
L’Orangerie is a glass-enclosed space that adjoins the Grande Galerie of the Four Seasons George V. The space was recently reimagined to include a revision of the acoustics, lighting and table arrangements. Its special Giorgetti tables, crafted in the image of petals, were fashioned to accommodate gestures of service, Rochon explained.
“The table, crafted by Giorgetti, had to be in perfect harmony with the chef’s cuisine. We designed it so that every element of the setting — plates, glasses, cutlery — would integrate seamlessly,” he said.
Elsewhere, Rochon’s redesign involved monumental accents like a suspended porcelain sculpture by Art and Floritude that features more than 10,000 bougainvillaea leaves, handmade by six artisans during a period of more than 2,800 hours.
For the past 45 years, Rochon’s interior design studio has specialized in designing interiors for hotel chains such as the Four Seasons, the Ritz Carlton and Waldorf Astoria, as well as restaurants for Michelin chefs such as Joël Robuchon and Alain Ducasse. Rochon’s expertise in the arena rendered the design experience unique for del Vecchio.
“Working with Monsieur Rochon is an extraordinary experience — his signature style, creative vision and meticulous attention to detail are a constant source of inspiration for us. His ability to masterfully balance materials, forms and proportions aligns perfectly with our philosophy, which is rooted in craftsmanship excellence and design innovation, a perfect synthesis of the meaning we give to preservation of our heritage,” del Vecchio added.
Rochon’s knack for evoking this sort of emotional grandeur and artistic heritage will be on show to a wider public of furniture-makers at Milan’s Salone del Mobile design fair set to kick off April 8. At the fair, Rochon will unveil Villa Héritage, a temporary space that combines neoclassical sculptural elements with conscious living. It was conceived to redefine the concept of interior design and intertwine multisensory experiences that evoke harmony, cultural elegance and timeless charm.
Giorgetti, which has recently opened stores Boston and Washington, D.C., and will soon open in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was founded in the late 1890s by Luigi Giorgetti with a little shop in Meda, Italy, amid the furniture-making heartland of Brianza, with about eight workers. In 1898 he built his first factory and by the 1920s he had already charted U.S. territory, becoming a successful exporter, introducing semi-finished carved products to the market for the first time. In 2015, 100 percent of Giorgetti’s share capital was bought by Progressio, a private equity firm.
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