A New Gallery in Paris by Pierre Gonalons
French designer Pierre Gonalons has gained a reputation with his plain but powerful furniture and light fixture designs that add character to spaces. Boldly emphasising the tones of colour, the designer makes remarkable use of the voids in the geometric forms he creates. Gonalons plays gracefully with history and tradition in the process of creating a background for the story; he enjoys the contrasts between ideas and materials.
Last December, Pierre Gonalons opened an extraordinary gallery next to the famous Louvre museum, bringing a new energy to the streets of Paris. Located in the heart of the city’s ‘Passage Véro-Dodat’, the gallery displaying his furniture designs takes us on a short journey into the impressive creative world of the designer. ‘Galerie Véro-Dodat’ is one of the covered passages of Paris that was built in 1826. In close proximity to the Louvre museum and the historical centre and neighbouring stylish boutiques inside the passage, Pierre’s gallery confirms Gonalons’ commitment to cultural heritage. The overall design in the gallery is quite plain in order to maintain focus on the furniture, accessories and light fixtures.
Last year during Paris Design Week, which was held in the scope of ‘Maison Objet’ 2020, Pierre Gonalons’ designs were exhibited at Le Marais’ favourite spot, the historical and unique mansion ‘Hôtel de Soubise’. The image that emerged by combining the exhibition installation with the space was like a magnificent painting gleaming in colour. Walking around mesmerised by this image, I found myself in Pierre’s showroom.
The intriguing and eclectic designer grew up in Lyon in a family of Italian descent. Pierre recognised his creative flare for design and art soon after graduating from ‘École Camondo’. He developed a clear and distinctive taste for the history of art and French cultural heritage at a very young age. In 2004, he founded his own furniture company ‘Ascète’ and started to designs furniture, lighting fixtures and object designs. Gonalons has worked with numerous brands to create spaces, develop product concepts and creative strategies. Since opening his own creative office, he has collaborated with many famous brands including Lalique, Chloé and Pierre Frey. Inspired by the work of pioneer designer Dino Gavina, Pierre became the creative director of the Italian Paradisoterrestre brand, founded by Gavina himself.
Gonalons finds inspiration in the craftsmanship of traditional materials, history of art and decorative arts. In his own words, the designer builds a connection between the past and the present. Pierre Gonalons has lived in Paris for the last 25 years. By blending his Italian roots with French culture, Gonalons expresses his design concept using bold colours.
In 2019, the designer was listed among the top 100 AD designers following an appearance at the ‘AD Interieurs Exhibition’ organised by the Architectural Digest. Gonalons has been working on interior architecture projects since 2016. The designer sticks to a minimal approach by appealing to popular culture and decorative arts.
