Interview with Jean-Louis Deniot
Image taken by David Oliver. All rights reserved.
This exclusive interview with interior architect
Jean-Louis Deniot was conducted in Paris by Nicola Linza and Cristoffer Neljesjö
during March 2017.
When did you
realise this architectural design path for you?
I have always been very interested in design, ever since I was a kid. I
have always heavily produced, whether it was tree houses, models, floor plans
or theater decors.
I always been intrigued by the unknown, attracted by the unfamiliar,
very curious, as there would be as little amount of stones unturned in my life,
for example.
So I learned, I discovered and try to understand most of it, so I can
appreciate every aspect and create my own interpretation of interiors aesthetic
and lifestyle.
At an early age, I also learned history, open my interested eyes on
different buildings, monuments, artwork… in order to appreciate the nuances of
each styles.
How do you
approach juxtaposition in your design?
Each project represent a specific trip to me , so I write each location
story as a scenario , defining the atmosphere, the finishes, the textures, the
feelings ...
I always start with the interior architecture, by designing the back
drop, and always by focusing on renovation or to build each place completely in
tune with its environment.
I pay loads of attention so the interior materials and finishes respect
the real estate logic, the unquestionable flawless, timeless result.
Then I get more eclectic with the content, as it is much more subjective
and does not have to follow this real estate guidance’s.
I enjoy exciting and unconventional interactions, like two opposite
personalities becoming best friends!
The juxtapositions are about letting opposites attract each other, the
contradictions, between poor /rich, sculptural/plain, colorful/muted, brutal/soft.
Each element convey its own message, each message is a discussion with
the other.
It is very spontaneous with whatever I have to play with. I just try to
come up with the most convincing and exciting combination.
Where do you
get inspiration?
I travel constantly and find beauty and
inspiration in innumerable things, places, or experiences. In every country I
visit, I try to see as many sights as possible. I purchase mounds of books, I
try to attend parties, concerts, fashion and art shows.
I spend considerable time thinking about new ideas for future exercises.
I really get inspired by each cites.
Each property seems to ask for a specific result, then the ideas come
straight into my head as soon as I focus on the few inspiring, existing
component.
The main priority is the osmoses of each place.
How do you
approach your wall colour palette?
I love any colors from landscapes. Tree colors, water, earth tones, any
of the nature hue.
You rarely find strong colors in nature, only touches of bright colors,
I try to do the same in my work.
I love any sort of grays as a link, as it is bright and fresh during the
day, and moody at night.
Same as the main influences in term of inspirations are the location,
the natural light, the view and context of each property and it requires an
adequate color palette.
For example, when you are in a place with a winter sad light, you do not
use dark or dull tones; you use sharper contrast, lighter and crispier shades
... when you are next to the ocean, you translate the direct colors of the
landscapes, of the sky and sea, and it is always different from a country to
another.
I always control the hues on each cites as it often looks different
under the local light.
You are now
designing furniture what is important to you in a new piece of furniture today?
In the furnishing business, so many ideas have already been done... the
constant challenge is to create something that does not already exist—
something new that people will actually buy!
You need design strength, but you cannot be hyperconscious either.
I guess with some confidence and knowledge of exactly what is available
on the furniture market and what is not, you can create what is missing.
In a way, inspiration generally comes from a place of curiosity and
danger.
You have to be really curious to explore, prospects coming from within
and from your environment, which lead you to take risks.
There is no good design without excitement.
How are you
pushing designing forward?
This is a smart question, probably the hardest one to answer!
Only new opportunities, new open minded clients, and new locations give
me the chance to try new designs.
With more adventurous clients I will be able to define new aesthetics.
I will always push the aesthetic envelope to come up with more
surprising, exciting and convincing exercises.
If you could
choose to decorate any place in the world, which would it be and why?
It would be the Louvre.
I would love to work in new destinations, such as Brazil or Japan.
Or on another planet!!
How do you
achieve a stylistic balance and materialistic rhythm in a space?
I compose interiors like a painter create a canvas, with volumes,
colors, contrasts, shadows, perspectives, natural and electric lights.
The interior architecture, the circulations, the functions, and the
furniture layout define the room’s interactions.
Then you need to respect the sense of decorating priorities depending on
the layout.
You cannot treat all spaces with the same degree of aesthetic
importance, you need to respect a graduation in the decor.
It is the same for furnishing layout; you barely start in the entry and
it gets denser as you get into more private and intimate spaces.
Just like the architectural details and effects. You have to display it
all with a sense of graduation, then you add great juxtapositions, and finally
you let the magic finishes the job!
The above interview with Jean-Louis Deniot 2017 © Manner of Man Magazine. All rights reserved. Reproduction is strictly prohibited without written permission from the publisher.
