Creating made-to-measure pieces such as curtains, cushions, bedspreads, armchairs and sofas for the best interior designers in the world, including Rafael de Cardenas and Drake/Anderson, to name a few, Jouffre has become an established name worldwide.
The French company has just opened a new space in Long Island City, a few minutes from Manhattan, a milestone in its history. General manager Romain Jouffre admits, “We are working hard to become one of the most prestigious high-end upholstery ateliers. The craftsmanship we cherish deserves to be known and preserved. We want to train new generations of artisans and spread the love for this fine, century-old profession.”
Bright and open, the new space includes a workroom for all the artisans for upholstery, window treatments, and carpentry, offices, fabric collections from textile designers, and the showroom designed by Garce & Dimofski,
a Lisbon-based creative studio helmed by Olivier Garce and Clio Dimofski, to reflect the philosophy and highlight the knowledge of all Jouffre ateliers.
“One of the biggest challenges was achieving graceful curves in a space that was already industrial,” says Olivier. “Our source of inspiration came from the late French artist Pierre Le-Tan, who illustrated snippets of daily life on the covers of The New Yorker.”
Furniture, artworks and textiles dress the different niches that have touches of bright blue to enhance the dark green velvet curtains. “We wanted to use the most vibrant collaborations in the project to weave art, design, and crafts,” says Olivier.
In this space that honours French savoir-faire, different styles and eras mix. As an example, Minjae Kim designed a sculptural wooden black lacquered floor lamp, and Ian Felton created a lava stone coffee table with sculptural wooden legs especially for this project, while Garance Vallee presented surrealist paintings. The original artworks of Maison Royere, Simone Bodmer-Turner, Gauthier & Compagnie, and Carvalho Park are combined with works from R & Company and Lehmann Maupin, and others bring a singular visual language to life through a dream scenography with mesmerising objects.
Ateliers Jouffre’s ambition extends beyond the current interior. “We [plan] to become more sustainable and adapt the building in ways that use less energy, such as installing solar panels,” says Romain.
For more information, visit www.jouffre.com.