There’s a youthquake underway at one of France’s oldest institutions.
The Mobilier National, the national repository of furniture and the decorative arts, was formally established in the 17th century under King Louis XIV. Now housed in a massive Art Deco complex in the 13th Arrondissement — on land that was once the vegetable garden for the Les Gobelins tapestry factory — it houses more than 130,000 commodes, clocks, candelabras, chairs, tapestries, carpets and other antiques spanning four centuries of French history. For elected officials, a selection from the Mobilier National’s reserves is made available for refurbishing government agencies and residences, from embassies right on up to the Élysée Palace, the president’s official residence.
Last month, 54 new creations joined the inventory, including lamps, tables, sofas, room dividers and so forth by 30 contemporary designers in France.
Hervé Lemoine, the president of the Mobilier National, said this year’s crop was part of a campaign that began in 2020 to expand the institution’s holdings, especially to newer works. Contemporary acquisitions also have begun traveling the world. In December, the Villa Albertine x Mobilier National stand won the best special project award at Miami Design Week.
“What’s always interesting is to see a designer’s process and originality,” said Mr. Lemoine, who worked with jurors from decorative arts, the media and other fields to select the additions from among 436 submissions.
“What we’re looking at is how these young designers manage to take something classic, like a lamp, table or chair,” he said, “and use their command of different kinds of savoir-faire to transform them into a completely new proposition.”
