With fully-designed, ready-to-live apartments available at a moment’s notice, Gérard Faivre revolutionises the Parisian luxury real estate by giving clients the possibility of moving into an extraordinary home without all the usual burdens, going so far as to offer a concierge service worthy of the best luxury hotels in Paris. To him, every house is unique; thus he would ensure that each home is decorated in harmony with the history of the building, its former owners, its location or quite simply based on what inspires him. Here’s his story…
Can you tell us more about yourself? How did you come about setting up your practice?
People say that I am always in a hurry, but in fact I am rather patient! I had to wait more than 15 years to practice the profession I had always dreamt of doing: interior and exterior design. With resignation and a tinge of sadness, I had to give up my studies of architecture to manage the family business after the early death of my father. During many long years, I ran ready-to-wear clothing factories. Thanks to this experience which I did not choose, I learned to love beautiful materials and harmonious proportions.
What are the things that you learn while you ran your family’s clothing business?
My eye and my hands improved in keenness and know-how. In my shops, you could find a guiding line that told a story just with clothes and accessories that I had selected with utmost care.
What’s your source of inspiration?
I am still telling stories with my homes in Provence: my first stay in the south of France was dazzling. Of course I am no Van Gogh nor Matisse but, coming from the North like these two major artists, I understood immediately that my idea of paradise on earth was to be found between a palm tree and an olive-tree.
Can you tell us about your first decorating project? How did it impact your life and career?
When we bought our first house, I restructured and decorated it according to my taste which leans towards contemporary art. It was not even finished when some of my friends requested to buy it. We refused to sell it until I found another well-located “bastide” that need to be entirely renovated. From then on, I was hooked. I finally found a way to make my teenage dreams come true. And this is how I became the creator of this global art of living which I continue to create in the properties that I buy and sell. My approach is totally original because I create a universe which I really love.
What’s your design process like?
To create an original work of art, I imbue myself with the soul of each property. For me, each site is both a blank canvas and a source of inspiration. Depending on the place’s atmosphere, I would complement the perfect layout with artwork, bespoke creations and vintage details. I do not like the French expression « clefs en main » (turnkey) which could qualify my work, for it is reductive and underlines a mercantile procedure. It is for me alone that I draw the blue-prints, design the floor-plan, and imagine the architecture and decor.
What makes you different from other interior designers?
Unlike my decorator friends, I do not work for a client and do not have to compromise with demands and preferences imposed by somebody else: I propose a finished product, a home thought out in its smallest details, where one can move in within 24 hours. It is a global vision and my own signature that I put on the market. The happiness I feel in undertaking and finishing each project is a concrete, tangible pleasure which visitors can feel when they enter the main gate of the property. The decision to buy comes quickly. One falls in love with a house immediately, passionately or not at all.
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