Established in 2018 by Vladimir Markovic who represents the Estate of Jean Royère, the company Maison Royère is dedicated to revive the spirit of the French decorator, one of the most daring of the 20th century. Through meticulous archival work, the company strives to bring back to life the iconic furniture pieces of Jean Royere, not only in terms of design, but craft as well, which always went hand in hand with the modus-operandi of the great decorateur-ensemblier himself.
In line with this strategy, ever since the beginning of 2020, Maison Royère has partnered with our upholstery ateliers to develop and breathe new life into its most iconic seating pieces: the Polar Bear sofa and armchair, the Rouleaux sofa, and the Egg sofa, chair and meridienne.
Our partnership began with extensive research and development by our Design & Methods Studio to meet the expectations of Maison Royère: in order to create an impeccable collection in terms of comfort and finish as a tribute to this great legacy. Pushed to their highest standards, all of our teams have brilliantly met this challenge by combining tradition and innovation: In order to be eco-responsible, the seating pieces are entirely handmade using natural materials and revisited traditional techniques.
The solid wood frames are crafted by our partner, Souchet Inspired Woodwork, located in the Vosges. To create these frame typologies, curves are adjusted with traditional seat joiners' tools, using their sense of sight and touch to achieve the purest lines possible. The material used for these frames is beech, historically used in this field for its density, durability over time, and especially for its locally sourced supply from the Vosges and Lorraine forests near the workshop.
The teams at Nicolas Souchet have also redesigned the tenon-mortise joints and keys through the use of digital machining, which roughs and approaches the forms while still allowing the seat joiner their preferred means of expression, such as adjusting curves and debarking. These foundational works, in addition to their meticulous finishing, are important as they shape the final forms of the seats.
These frames are then upholstered by our artisans with noble and natural materials using a precise manufacturing process: our artisans first create a jute webbing followed by a suspended webbing with a separate front. The springs are positioned on the webbing before being hand-sewn to it. A webbing cord attached to the frame with tacks is tied to the springs to lower them and hold them upright at a predefined height.
Then, the rattan core is bound around the webbing perimeter with stitching twine to outline the seat shape. The springs are "dressed": a handful of horsehair is inserted at the base of each spring to prevent any resonance that might occur when someone sits down. Once the webbing is completed, we place a layer of hessian on top before sewing a strong canvas to the springs and rattan with a chain stitch. Finally, a layer of coconut fiber is applied to the front of the webbing to create a bowl shape to accommodate and hold the seat cushion in place. The inside of the cushion, made of cotton ticking, is filled with feathers and duck down distributed in compartmentalized bags.
Our artisans then upholster the backrest and armrests. The uniqueness of these models lies in the fact that the backrests also contain springs implemented using a process similar to that of the seat. The stuffing is done using carded animal hair held to the strong canvas of the springs with a base stitch. A profile of rubberized coconut fiber is applied to the upper belt of the backrest to outline the unique curved shape of the Polar ensemble imagined by Jean Royère. All of this is wrapped in a layer of needled animal hair on a cotton canvas sewn with a overlock stitch directly onto the piece.
Before applying the fabric, we cover all the upholstery with a wool blanket held in place by a white canvas to make the whole uniform. The pieces are finally expertly covered by our seat upholsterers with exquisite alpaca velvet fabrics. Upon the completion of the process, all pieces are studied by Maison Royère teams and finally approved, certified and numbered by the Estate of Jean Royère, making each piece truly unique and one of a kind as an attestation and confirmation to their originality.
These iconic works perfectly reflect the excellence of our workshops and demonstrate in every way the skillfulness of our artisanal craftsmen who successfully and passionately perpetuate the legacy of the famous decorator. Today, we are proud to find these sublime seating pieces in the most sophisticated interiors and the most sought-after residences in the world, envisioned by the numerous renowned decorators captivated by the timeless works of Jean Royère.
Pieces of furniture : © Jean Royère Estate
Photos : © François Halard | © Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt | Studio Erick Saillet