InFocus | Fine Interiors
A man who works magic
Christian Ghion says if he hadn't been a designer he'd have been a magician. Here he shares a few of his tricks.
- By Maria Dowdall Stapleton, Feature writer
- Published: 23:25 December 2, 2008
- Image Credit:
Christian Ghion says if he hadn't been a designer he'd have been a magician. Here he shares a few of his tricks.
Christian Ghion is France's leading objects designer. He was born in 1958 in Montmorency, France, and studied at l'Ecole du Louvre and l'Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Creation Industrielle (ENSCI), graduating in 1987. The same year, he established his own studio with his friend Patrick Nadeau, and started designing objects and furniture. In 1990, his work was recognised with the Grand Prix de la Creation de la Ville de Paris award.
After deciding to work alone, Ghion started designing for some of the greatest names of the design world including Cappellini, Driade, Salviati and Murano. Many of his pieces belong to the permanent collections of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Centre Georges Pompidou and the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris. Seeking a new challenge he moved into interior design in 2003 and has designed for Michelin-star chef Pierre Gagnaire and Paris' First Lady of lingerie, Chantal Thomass.
When did your interest in interior design start?
Maybe when I was about 20 or 22 years old. Initially
I studied law because I thought I wanted to be an auctioneer. But then I decided I was more interested in the creative side of art than merely selling it.
I decided to study at Ecole du Louvre in Paris but because the course focused on history of art, which I found boring, I left after one year. Then I discovered a small school [l'Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Creation Industrielle (ENSCI)] that had furniture design courses. Most of the students already had a design qualification so I had to beg the director of the school to let me join. The first year was terrible because I was the worst student in the department but I was very interested and motivated so I worked continuously.
My efforts paid off. After three years, I became a teacher in the school and after five years I had become an assistant director of the school.
You first gained recognition as an object designer. What was your first project?
Many small French companies came to the school and so I made lighting features and small objects such as chairs and sofas for them.
How did you move from being a teacher at a design school to a celebrated object designer?
For ten years nothing happened and it was difficult to survive. Then I held an exhibition in Paris and a big Italian design company [Capellini] asked me to make objects for them. The backing of Capellini brought credibility to my work and got other companies interested in collaborating with me. Unfortunately, if you don't work for a huge company, you don't get recognised. Seven years ago and prior to that exhibition, I was a design beggar.
What would you say is your trademark?
I refuse to follow the latest trend. For example, 15 years ago the trend was opulence and complex, flashy designs. So when I started to work, my designs were very simple and pure to avoid the mainstream movement. After that, minimalism became the defining style and so I turned to baroque. I believe it was for that reason Chantal Thomass called me and asked me to design her flagship showroom [in Rue St Honore in Paris]. That made me happy because it meant people had started to look at something different from the minimalism, something more glamorous and sensual.
So you are not impressed by minimalist designs?
Sometimes people excel at minimalist designs but a lot of the time it is not minimalist but minimum or nothing. For me, minimalism means the art of minimum and creating something definite that makes a statement — not just a square block.
You have worked with Murano glass and Capellini. How did these collaborations happen?
I had just done an exhibition in Paris and Julio Capellini called me personally, requesting a meeting.
I thought one of my friends was having a joke but I decided to play along. Until the following day when I arrived [at the Capellini showroom] I did not believe it. There, Julio told me he wanted to produce the exact prototype I had made for the exhibition.
For Murano glass it was a different case and in fact I have two separate collaborations with them. There is an Italian company called Salviati that produces beautiful and high-quality vases in Murano. Because I collect vases, it was a fantasy for me to work with them. The first collection of vases I designed was a resounding success for commercial and marketing reasons. My products are responsible for 50 per cent of the company's turnover. I also travel to Murano three or four times a year to work with another section of the company called Veronese, which produces chandeliers using Murano glass. I don't design the chandeliers, rather I customise them.
You said luxury is about three things quality, quality, quality. Which brands epitomise luxury?
In my opinion, most designer brands stopped making luxury things a long time ago. There is, however, one brand that still epitomises luxury in France — Hermes.
That said, I don't think it is acceptable or a luxury to pay over-the-top prices for a belt or a key ring. That is just exploiting clever marketing and has nothing to do with luxury.
When it comes to your interior design work, what features do you like to use and why?
I love mirrors because for me, they represent many things and you can really play around with them to get special effects. Although you can see your reflection, I believe that if you look deeper, you can also see your mind and spirit. I think that if I had not become a designer I would have become a magician as they use a lot of mirrors.
How does the approach to your work differ when designing rooms instead of objects?
For furniture, I try to be as free as possible. For example, if you respect every single rule for a chair, the result is quite boring. So I imagine the most creative thing I can within the confines of logic and try to incorporate that into the design.
For interior design it is different. I need to see the location because I think environment is very important. Before starting to design, I try to get into the head
of the people who are commissioning the work as opposed to just coming up with an idea. I believe that if I am working with a master chef for instance, I need to translate into volumes, lighting and colour what he gives in the cooking and food.
What are your upcoming projects?
I will start work on a villa in Dubai. I met the couple and they are very interesting people.
This could be my favourite project to date.
Is it possible to design on a tight budget?
I find the less money I have to work with, the better
it is for me. When you have a small budget you are forced to be creative. You push yourself to find clever solutions. When you have money it is easy, and sometimes because it is easy you become lazy.
If someone is re-designing a room on a tight budget, what should be their key investment?
I think a good bed to sleep well and a good shower are the most important investments You were recently a jury member of the nespresso design contest. What did you think of the calibre of design?
I was disappointed by the entrants. There was a lack of invention and creativity. The students now just want to be famous rather than work and be celebrated for some achievement.
In 1990, you won the Grand Prix de la creature de la ville Paris. Also, you have your works in many prestigious museums such as the Guggenheim and the Georges Pompidou centre. How did it feel to be recognised for your work?
It depends on the stage of my career. When I won the grand prix, I was so happy because I was sure I would not win. Now it does not matter to me. Maybe it is because I am older or I have become blasé but now I focus on design rather than the accompanying fame.
Having won such accolades in the business, what does Christian Ghion still want to achieve?
I would like to design a hotel — not a large hotel but
a small venue in Paris, London or Italy. It would have six floors with 30 rooms. This is my dream and I am sure I will achieve it. I would also like to do the design for a modest yacht of approximately 30 metres.
Designing for mega-projects such as skyscraper hotels or massive yachts does not interest me, as such design loses its intimate quality.
