Vincent Darré
Interior designer and architect
Famous for his baroque, whimsical creations, which flirt with surrealism and English eccentricity somewhere between Jean Cocteau and Cecil Beaton, Vincent Darré is a character apart in the world of decoration.
First of all, his background is in fashion, where he worked successively for Yves Saint Laurent, Montana, Prada and Chloé, then as Karl Lagefeld’s right-hand man at Fendi, and artistic director for Moschino and Ungaro… A career he left in 2008 to devote himself to designing furniture and decorative objects.
In a delightful showcase on Rue Mont Thabor in Paris, he begins by presenting a collection christened “Ossobuco”, featuring chairs with vertebrae-shaped backrests and a table with femur-shaped legs. This was followed by the “A l’Eau Dali” collection, featuring Octopus sconces and a Langouste wardrobe! Then there’s the “Cadavres exquis” collection… in contrast to the elegant sobriety of contemporary design, Vincent Darré cultivates poetry, humor, enchantment and winks.
In 2016, he turned another page. He closed rue du Mont-Thabor, too small a boudoir for his new project: to recreate a Parisian salon on the second floor of a building a stone’s throw from concorde, a large space in which he can receive friends and customers amidst his creations, antique furniture and selected designer pieces.
The new Maison Darré at 13 rue Royale is a tribute to the living heritage of the decorative arts. An art of living that is, for Vincent, highly personal, theatrical, with references to an invented past. Rue Royale was the obvious address, conveying the timeless luxury of a French style, as well as a reminiscence of the decorative arts in which Maison Jansen was the jewel of its day.
Love at first sight for 13 rue Royale was immediate, “I’m superstitious and it was on September 13 at 1pm that I had an appointment to visit 13 rue Royale, even though I was born on January 13. The 1XVIIIth century salons that opened up to me that day had fallen from the sky!
13 Rue Royale opens its doors with the new “Renaissance” collection.
In collaboration with France’s leading craftsmen, the collection showcases the unique expertise of French craftsmanship.
In 2018, he worked on the décor for Le Serpent à plume, a hybrid space combining coffee shop, concept store and night bar spread over two levels at 24 place des Vosges. He was also called in to stage the sale of the Ritz furniture at Artcurial, transforming the Hôtel Dassault into a dream Ritz.
In 2019, it’s through his drawings and sketches that he announces Cointreau’s 170th anniversary by signing a limited edition bottle, as well as working with jeweller FRED to illustrate travel diaries recounting the life of its founder Fred Samuel.
Maison Vincent Darré thus begins a new page.