La Chance is a new furniture and lighting company which debuted at MOST, Tom Dixon’s five-floor extravaganza in the National Museum of Science and Technology.
Jean-Baptiste Souletie and Louise Breguet presented their new Parisian brand La Chance at the Salone del Mobile. Fourteen pieces by as many international designers — from Italian Luca Nichetto to France’s Pierre Favresse, from Pole Bashko Trybek to the Swedish collective Note.
The brand has international aspirations and will employ quality materials and traditional processes to produce sophisticated but affordable collections with the aid of mass production.
La Chance decided to show two different personalities for each object, to demonstrate that the same furniture can have two sometimes very different personalities
The 2012 collection, Jekyll and Hyde, present two executions of each piece: an understated ‘Jekyll’ version in oiled wood, neutral tones and softly-brushed metal, and a Technicolor Hyde alternative. The Bashko Trybek bookcase, for instance, is extremely classical and sophisticated in walnut and black and very pop and energetic in light poplar with coloured uprights. We have not only changed the colours, however, also the material
We are not interested in seeking the pure form of Japanese design or being conceptual as is Dutch design or eccentric as is Italian design. I think the brand’s French identity brings sophistication. The structures and elements must highlight this sophisticated bent. We mix different materials — from cork to marble — to create a collection with a strong personality.
French or not, it’s a playful and eye-catching collection – fortunately backed up by great design.
Jean-Baptiste Souletie and Louise Breguet, the designers behind the startup, say that La Chance “epitomises their vision of French design”.
We have 14 pieces in all and most are already available, such as the mirror which will be on sale in September. We have worked with several object types — sofas, tables, mirrors… Being international and having many different influences is a key feature of the brand.
I would describe the style as French because it is very decorative. La Chance show the structures of the pieces as if they were decorative features, eg see Noé Duchaufour Lawrence’s sofa or also Pierre Favresse’s table.
The sober Dr. Jekyll below … …and the eye-catching Mr. Hyde above.
This will also be the brand philosophy in the future. We work with good quality materials and traditional methods because I thought, “If we are showing the structure, let’s at least make it beautiful.”
The structure is key in every object, its hallmark.
We only work with unlimited productions; perhaps we will also have limited editions in the future. The aim of the brand is not to be a gallery but rather to have objects with strong personalities at retail prices.
We worked on it for 18 months but had been thinking about it for years
