The French Riviera’s summer-long design celebration opens inside architectural landmarks

With a rich programme of exhibitions and events, Design Parade returns to the French Riviera for its 13th edition, taking over the Villa Noailles in Hyères for contemporary French design displays, as well as Toulon’s Ancien Eveche with a show dedicated to interior architecture. Creative collaborations are at the heart of show director Jean-Pierre Blanc’s initiative, and this edition strengthens his commitment with a plethora of young and established talents taking over historic spaces for a summer-long design celebration.

10 years exhibition by Philippe Malouin

Guest of honour and head of the international jury for the Design Prize (and also Wallpaper* Design of the Year), Philippe Malouin celebrated ten years of his studio at Villa Noailles, with an exhibition mapping a decade of design work. From the first pieces he designed as a student to more sophisticated furniture and accessories (including a piece created for Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition in 2016 and now developed into a fully-fledged collection by Marsotto), the exhibition displays Malouin’s versatility and his ability to speak different design languages in a cohesive manner. For the occasion, the designer also presented a new body of work, featuring a series of lights shown as ‘negative spaces.’ Titled ‘Non Lights’, the pieces are designed as shapes carved into walls and surfaces (inspired by those he found across the French Riviera), showing a new, ingenious approach to designing products.

Villa Noailles, Montée de Noailles, 83400 Hyères, France

Le Course de L’Eau by Arthur Hoffner

At last year’s edition of Design Parade, Hoffman impressed visitors with his water fountain concept, based on a combination of raw industrial elements arranged to create shapes through which water could charmingly flow. His initial project granted him the Prix du Public prize, so the designer was invited back this year to expand on the concept with an installation. Developed over three rooms, the show displays his design thinking through compositions of the same type of elements which constituted the first fountains. From this summer, Villa Noailles will also feature a specially commissioned fountain by Hoffner, placed permanently in one of the gardens.

Villa Noailles, Montée de Noailles, 83400 Hyères, France

L'Érotomanie de Mademoiselle Oops by Pierre Yovanovitch

Over in nearby Toulon, Pierre Yovanovitch (the city’s guest of honour and head of the panel judging ten interior designers’ spaces) created the apartment of the fictional ‘Mademoiselle Oops’, abandoned by its inhabitant and left intact for visitors to discover. Through a series of rooms (such as her library, pictured), Yovanovitch narrated his protagonist’s domestic adventures.

Ancien Eveche de Toulon, Cours Lafayette, 83200 Toulon, France

Boutique de la Villa Noailles by Vincent Darrè and Matthieu Cossè

‘The Villa Noailles has always made me dream’ declares French designer Vincent Darrè, who was invited by the Jean-Pierre Blanc to take over the ground-floor boutique, much in the collaborative style fostered by the Noailles themselves when they lived in the villa. In contrast with the Mallett-Stevens designed building, Darrè created a sinuous, sculptural decoration throughout the space, turning functional elements such as shelves and display tables into design opportunities. Painter Matthieu Cossè collaborated with the designer throughout the space, turning some of the nooks into charming windows over an imagined French Riviera.

Villa Noailles, Montée de Noailles, 83400 Hyères, France

Le Jardin D’Hiver by Pierre Marie

For his ideal ‘winter in July’, French designer Pierre Marie took over a room at Toulon’s Ancien Eveche. Bathed in coloured light (thanks to the oversized stained glass window opening the room over the inner courtyard), the garden was inspired by the designer’s trip to Sri Lanka, which he wanted to preserve in his memory through design. Using a shade of green on the walls, traditionally found on many Sri Lankan buildings, Marie created an immersive environment. Taking centre stage is a fountain focal point he realised using the existing fireplace, featuring hand-made ceramic tiles from Longwy – just one of the many artisanal touches he added throughout the space, working closely with French craftsmen.

Ancien Eveche de Toulon, Cours Lafayette, 83200 Toulon, France

14 Rooms by 14 Designers at La Reine Jane Hotel

A few years ago, restaurateur and design enthusiast David Pirone, decided it was time to instill life back into the hotels of Hyeres’ golden era. In collaboration with Jean-Pierre Blanc, Pirone took over the derelict La Reine Jane, near the city’s Marina, and enlisted 14 designers to each give a room a distinctive makeover. The brief was kept essential: to design a room complete with bed, desk, chair and lighting, also designing the bathroom in the same style. The designers included Inga Sempe, Francois Azambourg, Jean Baptiste Fastrez and Odd Matters, amongst others, each responsible for an overall redesign of the space which eclectically mixes identities and styles.

Port de L’ayguade, 1 quai des Cormorans, 83400 Hyères

INFORMATION

Design Parade Hyères and Toulon are on view until 30th September. For more information visit the Villa Noailles website