On my recent tour in the South of France, I made a two day stop at Arles, a genuinely creative city full of young artistic talent. Maja Hoffmann, the Swiss art collector and patron to the arts, selected Arles for the second outpost of her foundation Luma. She is in the process of establishing a vast creative hub in an old train factory. A new tower by Frank Gehry will open in 2021 at the “Parc des Ateliers.”
One of the other people who has put Arles on the design map has been a fashion and interior designer, Mr. Christian Lacroix. Born in Arles, he went on to study classical literature and art history in Montpellier. Later on, he migrated towards custom design and created his own fashion house in 1987. Since the 2000s, he has been taking on very diverse design projects such as the French high-speed trains, hotels, and museums.
As a consequence, it’s only logical he designed the refurb of one of the most iconic hotels in his hometown of Arles. He found inspiration in ancient Roman street paving and mosaics for the public areas and corridors. In the rooms, he opted for details from old Persian rugs and very graphical French engravings.
Mr. Christian Lacroix and ege carpets enjoyed the collaboration on this hotel and several museums and created a strong professional relationship. The project of a permanent ege collection was started and successfully launched in 2017. This commercial carpet collection draws from the same inspiration and features graphic designs based on stone floors, mosaics, antique engravings, and elaborate textile patterns. You can learn more about the collection here.
CPR
ARLES, France
