Vincent Darré
Styliste et Architecte d’intérieur
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 interior design. His origins go back to 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 the creation of furniture and decorative objects.
In a delightful showcase on Rue Mont Thabor in Paris, he begins by presenting a collection called Ossobuco, featuring chairs with vertebrae-shaped backrests and tables 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 La Concorde, a large space in which he can receive friends and customers amidst his creations, antique furniture and selected designer pieces. The new Maison Darre 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, of which Maison Jansen was the jewel in the crown at the time. Love at first sight for 13 rue Royale was immediate, “I’m superstitious and it was on September 13th at 1pm that I had an appointment to visit 13 rue Royale, even though I was born on January 13th. The 18th-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 artisans, the collection showcases the unique expertise of French craftsmanship. In 2018, he is working 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 Ritz furniture at Artcurial, transforming the Hôtel Dassault into a dream Ritz. In 2019, it is 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. The Maison Vincent Darré thus begins a new page.