Salon Art + Design Celebrates 15 Years with an Expanded Vision

Born in France in 1973, Erwan Boulloud graduated from Ecole Boulle in 1995, then assisted in the workshops of renowned designers such as Hubert Le Gall and Hervé Van Der Straeten, as well as working at the Louvre, the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) and the Museum of Natural History as a set designer presenting artworks and artifacts. In 2003, he opened his own studio in Paris, later moving to Montreuil where he works today. His furniture, made in limited numbered editions, fuses a variety of technical processes and aesthetic moods and boasts an ease with a range of high quality materials including wood, bronze, brass, steel, glass, gold leaf, inlaid precious stones, and even preserved exotic butterfly specimens. His showstopping creations don’t adhere to any existing styles, but rather take their direction from Boulloud’s rigorous intellectual quests and artistic determination to distill an idea to its essence. His attention to detail creates hidden delights in every inch of his works, and each piece is a testament to his imaginative vision of decor. From textured surfaces that resemble the carapace of a giant creature, to radiant polished metals and glistening modern Boulle marquetry, Boulloud’s cabinets, tables, mirrors, and seating defy genres and arise from a lineage all their own. His work has been featured in publications including Architectural Digest, Surface, and The Wall Street Journal, and in several exhibitions at Twenty First Gallery.

After studying at ENSAAMA Olivier de Serres and the Arts Décoratifs in Paris, Alice Gavalet began her career working for major fashion and interior design brands, and with designer Elizabeth Garouste. In 2010, she decided to refocus on her personal creation and set up her own studio in Nogent-sur-Marne, filled with felt-tip sketches and lined with boxes, vases, mirrors, lamps and other unique original pieces. Her creative process begins with drawing, a daily discipline that enables her to formalize her thoughts and bring her new pieces to life. She then assembles different materials – ceramics, metal, wood, fabric – and geometric shapes, combining them with bright colors to create objects that are witty, strong and honest. To Gavalet, ceramics is a game. The playful aspect of her work can be seen at every stage of creation, which must be joyful and instinctive. Her innate sense of color and pattern is enhanced by her work in engobe, which she favors for its matte appearance, and by her spontaneous technique, using slabs and colombin. Her sources of influence range from textiles to art brut and the decorative arts, from Betty Woodman and Ettore Sottsass to Max Ernst, Jean Dubuffet and Paul Cox. Her pieces are strong but unprovocative, imposing themselves naturally. It’s this signature that attracts attention in France and abroad, where she exhibits extensively in galleries, art centers and Parisian and international fairs. She exhibited her work at Paris Design Week 2020 and has been featured in Architectural Digest, the Financial Times and Wallpaper Magazine.

Eric Schmitt is originally from Toulouse and Paris though in 1997 he went to live and work in the Fontainebleau forest. Schmitt is a self-taught master of wrought iron and works with a team, collaborating with architects, interior designers, and landscape designers on private and public projects. He modernizes and revives the French tradition of Decorative Arts.