- Interior
Extreme luxury and reserved pure sensitivity make the ‘Made in France’ stamp that Pierre Yovanovitch leaves around the world. An interior by him is characterised by strength and modesty through a masterly play of harmonious volumes and strict lines, softened by lighting and authentic materials like wood, stone, metal and marble. His eclectic couture approach, balance, comfort and modernity make Yovanovitch the ultimate perfectionist who sees every project as a work of art.
Imagicasa spoke with him about his passion and his studio.
What is your design philosophy?
"I believe in intuition and vision rather than a carefully constructed set of principles. Often, I have an almost instant vision of what I want to achieve and I communicate that to the talented people I work with. They translate it into a carefully constructed design that we then further develop until it meets my vision."
How would you describe your style?
"Even though I try to think afresh for every project, there is clearly a recognizable style I’ve developed. I believe it has to do with balance. There is a boldness to my projects, but I strive to make it an understated boldness and at the same time to always add an unexpected element to destabilize the onlooker a little."
What inspires you?
"Above all, the strength of a design. I look at many objects, places, houses, whether in real life or in the form of images. Some of what I see, I will use for the drafting and execution, but what inspires me and makes me evolve invariably has strength and boldness. My preferred sources are contemporary art, vintage design and architecture and the opera! I have been a long-time collector and general fan of contemporary art and vintage Scandinavian and American furniture design which I incorporate quite a bit in my interior projects. I also draw inspiration from set design as it’s so innovative. I’m particularly passionate about the opera so I pay quite a bit of attention to the set design each time I go."
You accomplished a lot of different styles of projects, from private to public and also collections. How do you incorporate your philosophy and style in these different projects?
"I start with the building and the people who will live in it. I don’t work in a vacuum. I pay a lot of attention to the building and its surroundings and let my intuition guide me on the needs and desires of its inhabitants."
What distinguishes Pierre Yovanovitch Architecture d’Intérieur from other interior designers?
"All of my projects feature custom build pieces that are created specifically with the client and space in mind. In most cases, I work with contemporary artists to create site-specific art pieces, as well. Giving each project a fully custom approach is very important to my practice."
You realised some projects in Belgium, why do you think Belgians reach out to Pierre Yovanovitch Architecture d’Intérieur for their home?
"I’ve loved doing Belgium-based projects. Often my projects come about based on word of mouth recommendations, so once I begin doing projects in a certain region it typically leads to other projects in that area."
What kind of materials, colours and eye catchers do you like to use?
"I tend to work with angles and proportions in a space as a means of catching the eye. I also like to play with hints of bold colours throughout a space so as not to overwhelm a room but to add playful colour accents here and there."
What has been your most challenging project so far?
"I don’t recall a project that was not a challenge. Neither my clients nor I are interested in run-of-the-mill projects so if there is a challenge it’s a sign that we’re on the right path and being inventive."
What is your design philosophy?
"I believe in intuition and vision rather than a carefully constructed set of principles. Often, I have an almost instant vision of what I want to achieve and I communicate that to the talented people I work with. They translate it into a carefully constructed design that we then further develop until it meets my vision."
How would you describe your style?"Even though I try to think afresh for every project, there is clearly a recognizable style I’ve developed. I believe it has to do with balance. There is a boldness to my projects, but I strive to make it an understated boldness and at the same time to always add an unexpected element to destabilize the onlooker a little."
"My preferred sources are contemporary art, vintage design and architecture and the opera!"
What inspires you?
"Above all, the strength of a design. I look at many objects, places, houses, whether in real life or in the form of images. Some of what I see, I will use for the drafting and execution, but what inspires me and makes me evolve invariably has strength and boldness. My preferred sources are contemporary art, vintage design and architecture and the opera! I have been a long-time collector and general fan of contemporary art and vintage Scandinavian and American furniture design which I incorporate quite a bit in my interior projects. I also draw inspiration from set design as it’s so innovative. I’m particularly passionate about the opera so I pay quite a bit of attention to the set design each time I go."
You accomplished a lot of different styles of projects, from private to public and also collections. How do you incorporate your philosophy and style in these different projects?
"I start with the building and the people who will live in it. I don’t work in a vacuum. I pay a lot of attention to the building and its surroundings and let my intuition guide me on the needs and desires of its inhabitants."
What distinguishes Pierre Yovanovitch Architecture d’Intérieur from other interior designers?"All of my projects feature custom build pieces that are created specifically with the client and space in mind. In most cases, I work with contemporary artists to create site-specific art pieces, as well. Giving each project a fully custom approach is very important to my practice."
"I tend to work with angles and proportions in a space as a means of catching the eye."
You realised some projects in Belgium, why do you think Belgians reach out to Pierre Yovanovitch Architecture d’Intérieur for their home?
"I’ve loved doing Belgium-based projects. Often my projects come about based on word of mouth recommendations, so once I begin doing projects in a certain region it typically leads to other projects in that area."
What kind of materials, colours and eye catchers do you like to use?
"I tend to work with angles and proportions in a space as a means of catching the eye. I also like to play with hints of bold colours throughout a space so as not to overwhelm a room but to add playful colour accents here and there."
What has been your most challenging project so far?
"I don’t recall a project that was not a challenge. Neither my clients nor I are interested in run-of-the-mill projects so if there is a challenge it’s a sign that we’re on the right path and being inventive."
Header photo: ©Jose Manual Alorda Image credits (top to bottom, left to right):
1 & 3 OOPS Collection ©Jean-Francois Jaussaud
2 ©Jose Manual Alorda
4 Waiting Room, KERING 40, rue de sèvres, Paris ©Jean-Francois Jaussaud