‘No designer creates a piece of furniture just to see it shown in a museum,' says Constance Rubini, curator at Musée des Arts Décoratifs et du Design in Bordeaux. 'The objects are intended to have a life in the context of a home.' Housed within the charming Hotel de Lalande, the museum’s location is renowned for its dramatic setting for contemporary design exhibits.
Described as ‘an everyday mise-en-scene-like presentation’, the current 'Houselife' exhibition sees Rubini and co-curator Juliette Pollet decorate the aristocratic surrounds with modern collections from the Centre national des arts plastiques (CNAP).
Throughout the 18th century space, the duo have peppered rooms with pieces by a plethora of designers, including Alessandro Mendini, Naoto Fukasawa, the Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Jasper Morrison and Studio Formafantasma.
The company lounge
'The only "staging" that we did was to ask the perfumer Frédéric Malle and the musicians of the Bordeaux conservatory to create scents and sounds that suggest the kind of family life that could have taken place in this residence,’ Rubini explains. For example, in the 'dining room', the scent of coffee is diffused in the morning and basmati rice at lunch time.
The different dramatised chambers explore the versatility of the decadent interiors. Transforming the space entirely, a statement Philippe Starck bathtub commands the stately living room area, where Raw-Edges' ‘Stack’ storage unit and a Bouroullec Samsung Serif TV also hold court. ‘The idea was to create surprises by integrating the pieces smoothly in the existing spaces, with no clashes or disruption,’ Rubini explains of the abstract product placements.
The boudoir
Over in the lounge, an Andrea Branzi quote is emblazoned across a mirror: ‘Design is nothing more than a setting, a way of materialising a certain idea of the universe, a way to create a new imaginary realm.’ Here, tones of red underline all, with a tomato-hued ‘Méridiennes Yang’ sofa by François Bauchet and Patricia Urquiola’s ‘Fjord’ lounger standing out. Elsewhere in the room, Alessi daily essentials by Naoto Fuksawa and an indoor plant filtration device by Mathieu Lehanneur are uncannily paired with a classical harp that centres the Renaissance space.
Elsewhere, Rubini and Pollet add a new dimension to the exhibition with an architectural polar-opposite – Rem Koolhaas’ Maison Lemoine. The products that are placed in this modern domestic space are cleaner, more Scandinavian silhouettes. ‘Here the choice was made more according to the characteristics of the architecture itself,’ Rubini muses.
Raw-Edges' 'Stack' storage system and the Bouroullecs' Samsung Serif TV are abstract additions to the bathroom
The office in the Cruse Guestier salon featuring 'Lampe de table W103b', by Inga Sempé, 2011–2012; a 2005 Apple Ordinateur iMac G5 Combo; and Jasper Morrison's 'Bureau Plywood' desk, 1985–1986
'Chaise Clay Furniture' by Maarten Baas, 2011; and François Bauchet's 'Méridiennes Yang' sofa from 2001, in the company lounge
The company salon also sees a classic harp placed amid the contemporary pieces, with an Andrea Branzi quote etched onto the mirror
The curators also conceived a domestic setting at Rem Koolhaas’ Maison Lemoine, gathering 60 pieces including Finnish designer Eero Aarnio's 'Bubble' armchair
Left, ’Oggetto banale’, by Alessandro Mendini. Jean Christophe Garcia. Right, installation view of ’Houselife’, at Maison Lemoine.
INFORMATION
’Houselife’ is on view until 29 January 2017. For more information, visit the Musée des Arts Décoratifs et du Design website
ADDRESS
Musée des Arts Décoratifs et du Design
39 rue Bouffard
33 000 Bordeaux
-
Audi launches AUDI, a China-only sub-brand, with a handsome new EV conceptThe AUDI E previews a new range of China-specific electric vehicles from the German carmaker’s new local sub-brand
-
Inside Izza Marrakech: A new riad where art and bohemian luxury meetHonouring the late Bill Willis’ hedonistic style, Izza Marrakech fuses traditional Moroccan craftsmanship with the best of contemporary art
-
Clocking on: the bedside analogue timepieces that won’t alarm your aestheticWe track down the only tick-tocks that matter, nine traditional alarm clocks that tell the time with minimum fuss and maximum visual impact
-
Architecture, sculpture and materials: female Lithuanian artists are celebrated in NîmesThe Carré d'Art in Nîmes, France, spotlights the work of Aleksandra Kasuba and Marija Olšauskaitė, as part of a nationwide celebration of Lithuanian culture
-
‘Who has not dreamed of seeing what the eye cannot grasp?’: Rencontres d’Arles comes to the south of FranceLes Rencontres d’Arles 2024 presents over 40 exhibitions and nearly 200 artists, and includes the latest iteration of the BMW Art Makers programme
-
Van Gogh Foundation celebrates ten years with a shape-shifting drone display and The Starry NightThe Van Gogh Foundation presents ‘Van Gogh and the Stars’, anchored by La Nuit Etoilée, which explores representations of the night sky, and the 19th-century fascination with the cosmos
-
Marisa Merz’s unseen works at LaM, Lille, have a uniquely feminine spiritMarisa Merz’s retrospective at LaM, Lille, is a rare showcase of her work, pursuing life’s most fragile, transient details
-
Step into Francesca Woodman and Julia Margaret Cameron's dreamy photographs in London'Portraits to Dream In' is currently on show at London's National Portrait Gallery
-
Damien Hirst takes over Château La CosteDamien Hirst’s ‘The Light That Shines’ at Château La Coste includes new and existing work, and takes over the entire 500-acre estate in Provence
-
Tia-Thuy Nguyen encases Chateau La Coste oak tree in tonne of stainless steel stripsTia-Thuy Nguyen’s ‘Flower of Life’ lives in the grounds of sculpture park and organic winery Château La Coste in France
-
Paris art exhibitions: a guide to exhibitions this weekendAs Emily in Paris fever puts the city of love at the centre of the cultural map, stay-up-to-date with our guide to the best Paris art exhibitions
