From intricate panels and wallcoverings to sculptural plasterwork, revered companies are championing craftsmanship.
Carving A Niche
Féau Boiseries
Though evolving tastes continue to revive historic styles, Féau Boiseries’ passion for and dedication to fine decorative wood paneling has never waned. Today, the historic French company—still helmed by the Féau family—remains more relevant than ever, following decades of growth, a new stateside showroom in New York and a preeminent position in interiors ornamentation.
Headquartered in Paris since 1875, the business is renowned for preserving decorative paneling from estates and landmarks around the world while maintaining its crème de la crème status in decorative adornments—whether wood, resin, plaster, straw marquetry or molded glass—for the past 150 years. Central is their 25,000-piece living archive, considered the world’s largest private collection of boiserie, the French word for woodwork. “We draw inspiration from the finest works of great architects and decorators,” notes director Guillaume Féau, who has led the company since 2000 and steadily acquired the inventories of more than 30 shuttered workshops, effectively preserving a lineage of ornamental design.
Rather than nostalgia, Féau Boiseries champions the continuity of tradition. Their elite artisans draw on the expansive library for bespoke collaborations with design tastemakers du jour—executing ornate carving, plaster casting, resin molding and gold leaf detail in-house at their Paris atelier. And while the forward-thinking business recently test-drove 3D printing, they quickly concluded that old-world hand techniques proved more beautiful and true. “We embrace the rigor and beauty of historical craftsmanship,” Féau says. “But we also create new directions that align with our contemporary design vision.”
Féau Boiseries’ Paris atelier.
On a job site, a craftsperson applies gold leaf using a water gilding technique.
The company’s collection catalogs myriad examples of architectural salvage.
A skilled artisan carves a wooden panel with traditional tools.
Material Magnitude
Arte
There is wallpaper, and then there is Arte. The Belgium-based company’s global reach and influence is as wide and diverse as their portfolio of one-of-a-kind wallcoverings, with each collection telling a unique story and creating a world unto itself. Much like a fashion house, seasonal launches are approached like haute couture creations: emphasizing perfection and originality. “Everything has to be a jewel,” remarks Frederik Decoopman, Arte’s design manager who has been with the brand for nearly two decades. “The process is an evolution—we will continue to perfect a product until we’re happy, even if it takes two years.”
Exactitude aside, material and technique are at the heart of the brand. Simply put, “We take existing materials and combine them with techniques that make them complex,” says Decoopman, who—with his team—travels the world in search of raw materials and the local artisans and manufacturers who know them best. Raffia-based designs are sourced and produced in Madagascar, capiz shells from the Philippines, and all embroidery work is done in India, where skilled artisans, for example, delicately place small pearl beads on canvases (below).
This year marked an important milestone in Arte’s 44-year history with the opening of their first U.S. flagship showroom in New York’s Decoration & Design Building. On what’s to come, Decoopman assures that the sky is the limit, hinting at unexpected materials and nuanced artistry that push the boundaries of what they’ve accomplished thus far; always evolving, always innovating.
Botanic wallpaper in Pine Green.
Hand-applied pearl beads give Le Perle wallcovering its namesake.
Between Rivers is a relief-style 3D application depicting a scene near the Euphrates River.
A worktable in the Arte design studio.
Franges wallcovering in Chestnut.
Trained hands weave strands of rope to create the textured design Edge.
Expertly Cast
Segreto
As plaster detailing—long associated with classic, decorative masterpieces—becomes a contemporary calling card for bespoke interiors, top designers are turning to Segreto, a Houston-based custom finishes company. “Plaster gives a timeless quality,” founder Leslie Sinclair says. “It adds depth and texture to walls, enhancing everything around it.”
When establishing the firm in 1995, Sinclair joined a movement to preserve the ancient medium while exploring its capabilities in a modern context. Now, with more than 40 artists on her team—and projects around the country—she muses that the only limit is her imagination. This fall, Segreto adds plaster furnishings, lighting, artwork and accessories to their catalog, alongside Sinclair’s five books on the subject, the most recent of which, Beauty that Endures , was published last December. “While we’re excited to expand our reach,” she notes, “we’ll continue to do what we’re best known for: installing high-quality plasters, murals and decorative finishes with craftsmanship and care.”
Segreto’s custom bas-reliefs have become Sinclair’s passion project, a devotion she attributes to the technique’s historical significance. These sculptural pieces feature elaborate motifs, such as embellished florals (above) where each branch is carved by hand, then used to create molds for consistency before being coated in plaster and individually applied to the surface. The results are showstopping accents that serve as personalized works of art. “Pieces inspired by what’s in your heart bring a warmth to the home,” Sinclair adds. “It’s a way to make a house feel uniquely yours.”
Valobra Master Jewelers in Houston boasts an installation of cherry blossoms and roses.
Romantic bas-reliefs have made Segreto a standout.
An artist carves intricate florals from clay.
Art Deco meets Palm Springs in a flamingo work hand-finished in plaster.