Golden glow
The use of gold in interior design has remained popular for centuries, the elegance and opulence that gold can bring to a room is timeless.
The Romans and ancient Greeks were no strangers to the use of gold for coins and jewellery. In ancient Egypt, it symbolised the radiant glow of the sun and pharaohs were buried with the precious metal to signify their wealth. Today however, gold is far more accessible to provide that touch of luxury in more everyday settings - including in decorating and furnishing items.
In European terms, gilded furniture became the sought after fashion during the 17th century, when beautifully handcrafted, elaborate pieces adorned the homes of the rich and drew admiring gasps in sumptuous royal abodes.
This distinctive, classical French style was also prevalent in Egypt. When Napoleon arrived in Egypt with his army of academics, scholars, artists and furniture makers in 1798, they introduced French influences, including the use of gold, working with Egyptians to develop furniture in the French style – a trend that it is still popular today all over the world.
The very essence of French furniture design has also been captured in Australia. Melbourne architect and interior designer, George Manoly, has sourced some of the finest French-inspired furniture from around the globe. He founded Image De France to fulfill his passion for high quality, hand made furniture, with a range that spans across the reigns of Louis XIV, Louis XV, Louis XVI and Louis Philippe and includes an exquisite variety of Empire style pieces.
“We try to take the quality and methods of the furniture pieces back 200 years, using the same old fashion methods to create timber joints, finishings, amazing decorative elements handcrafted in wood and finely detailed inlays – also using traditional finishing methods including 18 carat gold and sterling silver leafs,” explains George, who grew up in Egypt surrounded by this distinctive style of furniture.
For George, Image De France is not just a business, but a passion. “The amazing fine leaves and flowers carved with very fine details in wood, take my breath away sometimes. It’s all in the fine details and is not to be compared with the bold design of modern pieces. I feel these pieces can last hundreds of years and people will still admire them,” he says.
Furniture at Image De France is handcrafted in Egypt, which according to George is one of the only places in the world where French style furniture of this standard is still available because of the reluctance to put it onto a production line. Fabrics, marble colours and in some cases the size of the furniture can be customised to suit individual needs. All gold gilding is completed with either 18 carat or 24 carat gold paper.
“Although the gold used on classic French furniture was traditionally shiny, the taste in the market today is to make it look antique, so the gold is often toned down. Silver was not traditionally used in classic French furniture, but we now use this as well because there is demand for it,” says George.
“Gold gilded furniture is well suited to period homes, but can also be used in contemporary homes where we advise our clients to select one piece of classical French furniture to add some flavour.
“We are not furniture designers, we just have the eye to bring the most beautiful finely detailed furniture pieces from the past into today’s bold life. We don’t want to sell the same as everyone else, we want our furniture to be different to what is already available everywhere else.”
Further information
Image De France
317 High Street
Prahran VIC 3081
Ph: 03 9529 5003
436 Burwood Road
Hawthorn VIC 3122
Ph: 03 9815 1922
Web: www.imagedefrance.com