Craft and Creativity

Architect and designer Jean-Michel Wilmotte stepped into the spotlight in 1982 as one of five designers of President Mitterrand’s private apartment at the Elysée Palace. Next came a 20-year adventure with I. M. Pei designing interiors for the Louvre. Since then, the sophisticated simplicity of Wilmotte’s interior architecture has triumphed in museums from Lisbon to Doha and Beijing, including the brilliant renovation of Paris’s Musée d’Orsay and ongoing work for Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum.

The super-luxe hotel La Réserve in Ramatuelle, near Saint Tropez, exemplifies his stunning take on contemporary—and very comfortable—interiors. Now that he has linked up with US luxury furniture distributor Holly Hunt, Americans can discover the allure of his sleek geometrical designs: the Hadrien desk in cinder-toned American walnut with lacquered interiors; the Hadrien daybed and chair, both in ebonized walnut and leather; the De Stijl dresser in solid oak and brushed chrome; and the Frame coffee table in patinated bronze metal and swamp oak. www.hollyhunt.com

Originally published in the November 2012 issue of France Today