Hermès & Kneedler Fauchère: a double dose of luxury

Sophisticated and whimsical. Masculine and feminine. Regal and relaxed. Classical and downright groovy. Apparently you really can be all things to all people... or at least Hermès can!

Take a peek at some of the new textiles and wallpapers on view at the Kneedler Fauchère showroom in Los Angeles last night. It's a clever range of designs (from horses to monkeys to the famous "H") in wonderfully sophisticated colors. But one wouldn't really expect anything less from a firm that's been trading in luxury goods for 175 years, now would they...

Interior designer François Jantzen of Modoo Modoo and Rocky La Fleur of Kneedler Fauchère playfully consider the options for Couverture et Tenues de Jour, a bold fabric featuring parading horses. The pattern is based on the iconic Hermès scarf designed by Jacques Eudel in 1962.

A handy take-away last night was the small but handsome seasonal catalogue, which -- and kudos to Hermès for this -- identifies each designer by name wherever possible. You have to love a firm that doesn't hide their talent behind the company curtain, so to speak, but celebrates them with full credit.

Ottoman, cotton and viscose
The formality of herringbone meets the delicacy of grosgrain ribbon to create this tailored, but not stiff, stripe.

Equateur, printed cotton
A jungle scene imagined by Robert Dallet, the naturalist painter, in 1988.

Meow: A detail of Dallet's rosy-nosed leopard.

Finish, printed cotton
Designer Jean-Louis Clerc perfectly captures the rush of racing in a quick, sketch-like scene.

Bibliothèque, printed cotton
A fabric after my own heart: Hugo Grygkar's trompe l'oeil design inspired by the many equestrian tomes found in the Hermès family library.

Fil d'Argent
The equine theme continues with Henri d'Origny's bridle-inspired pattern (seen here as a wallpaper), a nod to the founding of the Hermès brand, which began as a saddlery firm for the nobility.

For more information on the Hermès fabrics and papers, click here.

If you're in Los Angeles, visit Kneedler Fauchère at the Pacific Design Center. Just don't be surprised if you find a dozen other things that you'd like to take home! It's a beautiful showroom.

PS: Kneedler Fauchère will be launching their Web site early in the New Year. Keep an eye out for it!