PIERRE FREY IN FOCUS
"Looking in the past, is not a backward vision"
These were the words spoken by archive specialist Sophie Rouart . WOOLF met with Patrick Frey to look through some of the incredible pieces collected by ‘Pierre Frey’ that are meticulously documented and protected in the Paris showroom. Rouart displayed many incredible pieces that have since been either re-created, or used as inspiration for a new idea. For example, she delicately laid out a hand embroidered curtain from the 16th Century that has been the source of inspiration for a woven wall covering. Explore Pierre Frey in WOOLF projects.
It is this sense of history that WOOLF are inspired by the most, as these pieces represent an outstanding heritage and a true appreciation of styles and designs that have come before. It is here where the company have taken these patterns and prints that are hundreds of years old and used them in a new way, creating unique collections which hold a history, with a modern twist. They let the ‘clients be the creators’ as Rouart so elegantly put it.
WOOLF have worked with Pierre Frey for many years and the reasons why we continually return to their fabrics, wall coverings, furniture and rugs is because they house such an authentic collection. We find that when we rummage through their flagship showroom, we can always find great textiles for any client and almost any brief. Our projects can be very contemporary or historic sometimes have a slightly quirky feel or perhaps a very tailored and textured design approach, we can find products that match our aesthetic. Some of our projects are very historic and even though most of their designs originate from the from the archives in Paris, we find that the breadth of their collection really can encompass any project that we take to them. Explore Pierre Frey in WOOLF projects.
In addition, the people who work at Pierre Frey are incredibly experienced and knowledgeable and are always such a pleasure to deal with. They have the most extraordinary range of textures and their colour palettes are absolutely gorgeous which will work with most of our schemes. Their bespoke capacity is really interesting, we have designed rugs with them from scratch and embellished fabrics from their standard range with our own design pattern, which has been really exciting for us. Equally they have ranges of fabric which are incredibly quirky and originate from the most unusual sources. Explore Pierre Frey in WOOLF projects.
It is a family run business, when you look at the origins of the business, you get a sense that they are incredibly passionate about design and that is how they have emerged as a global supplier. Interestingly, they still use the machinery which they originally used to produce some of their fabrics and block prints. Their contemporary collections and had obviously been produced using quite modern technology. The business has survived through several generations because although many of their designs originate from historic origins, they also move with the times.
FOUNDING & HISTORY
Pierre Frey was born on 29 December 1903, to a northern French family. After a first job as a furniture polisher for an antique dealer, he worked with a milliner, then with a fabrics house by the name of Burger. In 1930, he gave up his position to manage the ‘Lauer house’, another major fabric creator of the time. He then convinced its designer, Jean Chataney, to follow him on a second move. On 27 December 1934, a house carrying both names—Chataney and Frey—opened its doors.
Today, Pierre Frey owns the brand Pierre Frey but also the brands Braquenié, Boussac, Fadini Borghi and Le Manach. The company’s collection consists of about 7,000 items with various themes according to the decades, from classic to contemporary. This collection includes the Pierre Frey designs and the collections from the company’s other brands.
COMBINING CRAFTSMANSHIP WITH MODERNITY
As the main French company in the textiles sector, Pierre Frey is also a family business with a history of passion for interior decoration that has been handed down for three generations. Honouring the past and turned toward the future, Patrick Frey relied successively on his three sons—Pierre, Vincent and Matthieu—to lead and to expand the scope of the company on the basis of a shared appreciation of love for work well done, careful attention to detail and inspired creation. Explore Pierre Frey in WOOLF projects.
‘Maison Pierre Frey’ creates and produces fabrics by taking inspiration from classical and contemporary art or from faraway ethnic groups, always interpreting it in a very French style. This artistic sensitivity led the company to acquire the Braquenié, Boussac, Fadini Borghi and Le Manach textile companies in the nineties, making it possible to offer customers styles that range from classic to contemporary.
MULTIPLE EXPERTISE
For several years, Pierre Frey has been expanding its product offer and opening its creativity to new areas of expression, including wallpaper and wall coverings, made-to-measure rugs and carpeting, and furniture. Building the future is based on understanding the past. Created in 2003, the archives department conserves, inventories and promotes an exceptional collection of over 25,000 documents, dating from the sixteenth century to the present.
These archives are living and continue to be enriched with regular acquisitions. For the studio, the goal is not necessarily to make an identical reproduction of a document, but to use it as an inspiration that feeds contemporary creation, inventive and profoundly eclectic, Maison Pierre Frey demonstrates an undeniable mastery in the creation of furnishing fabrics. Prints, wools, linens, velvets, embroidery, jacquards or damasks, all creative materials that are influenced by art and culture.
The company has a remarkable collection of archives that is documented in Paris where they can be searched by colour, motif, technique and period. Some of these fabrics date back to the 16th century which makes Pierre Frey a valued point of contact for leading museums. It is this sense of history that WOOLF are inspired by the most, as these prints represent an outstanding heritage and a true appreciation of styles and designs that have come before. It is here where the company have taken these patterns and prints that are hundreds of years old and used them in a new way, creating unique collections that hold a history, with a modern twist. The extraordinary way in which these fabrics are preserved and then often re-designed in a different colour, design or for a contrasting purpose can also be reflected in how the business has been passed down from one generation to the next.
