EFTA01203734.pdf

■ an I I 19045 3 50C, March 5 112I April May - 4 rn V) LIFESTYLE • PERSONALITIES • REAL ESTATE POWERED BY ENGEL &VoLKERS IHSLIJ VA3NOS GUNTER SACHS MALDIVES His Legendary New York Soneva Fushi or IAIVH9V1S 3H1 Townhouse Where Halston the Art of Relaxing Partied with Warhol & Co on a Magical Island REMI TESSIER Superyachts & Dream Homes Visiting the Celebrated French Interior Designer in Paris ),1 THE FINEST REAL ESTATE WORLDWIDE ppy 0013 11f911180d 0813 NIOdS FROM PARIS, ANTWERP TO NEW YORK AND TO THE INDIAN OCEAN EFTA01203734  The Artisan Designer Twenty-seven years ago Rem' Tessier was still traveling through France with his fellow journeymen. Today, the Paris-based designer is on speed dial for some of the most interesting personalities and creates the interiors of their homes and yachts. The extraordinary career of a man whose loyalty, craftsmanship, vision and determinationtook him to where he never imagined he would be. Text Michaele Cordes Photos: Mark Seelen Production: Janine Weitenauer dffilfif Art always goes well with good design for Rerni Tessier. At home, a photo by Sugimoto hangs above a sofa table he ditred himself. EFTA01203735  .y Rend 8 his girls: his wife, Carole, Ambre•Cametia (5), Sienna•Rose (7), Diane•Dpale (2) and Lou•Viictoria (7). Not in the photo: Baby Kiara-May (6 months old). "I am not a person who plans for the future. If you had told me ten years ago that I would have five daughters one day, I would never have believed you..." REM( TESSIER 36 EFTA01203736  a I A passionate collector: when you step into his home you see immediately why Tessier enjoys working with clients who also collect art. erhaps one of his best assets can be attributed highly discreet projects just one story above the Paris gallery belonging to the fact that Remi Tessier has five daugh- to legendary U.S. gallerist Larry Gagosian. His clients include famous ters, a quality that is essential for his job as a internet billionaires as well as America's Cup winners — although he designer: sensitivity. "The ability to put my- would never, as a matter ofprinciple, divulge their names. Just one of self in my diems' shoes, to understand what many unspoken rules that Tessier's clients admire about him. It is also they want to wake up to, and into what kind of a prerequisite for a good contact to eventually become a friendship and world they would like me to transport them — that is al- form the basis from which further projects can develop. ways the biggest challenge." explains the French interior 'You might be surprised to hear this, but loyalty and reliability are designer, whose unwavering instinct and passion for his very important and highly appreciated in those circles. In fact, I once craft and for contemporary art have won over some turned down a major project because my new client was in a dispute 2g of the wealthiest entrepreneurs from Europe, the United States and with someone for whom I had already completed several projects and •o the United Arab Emirates. who I truly admire. It's very important to demonstrate your integri- Dark wood, often polished to a high gloss; white sofas that appear ty, and in the end, relationships are more important than the mon- light enough to float but into which you can imagine nothing bet- ey or the business. Making the decision to turn down the job wasn't ter than to sink, all married to gleaming chrome — this is Mini Tes- easy, but ultimately, it was the right thing to do. It even gained me the • sier's signature trademark. "Designing someone's home, but even respect of both parties. Three years later, I was contacted again, and F. more so the interior of a yacht, is an enormously private matter, and since the conflict had been laid to rest, I was able to do the interior of . g I get to know my clients extremely well in the process. They all be- the client's 80-meter motoryacht without any misgivings." 2 long to the same 'club' and know each other well. Exclusive design is etermined and very talented, someone who knows exactly what "How did we me •ole app ed for a job at _ • even written into my contract, and doing the same work for one per- son that I did for someone else would be an unforgiveable mistakel" explains Tessier, who has just finished several private homes in Lon- D he wants — this is how Tessier is regarded in the yachting world. A strong personality. His unusual career path certain- ly played a major role in forming his character. "I knew when I was the studio. Today. my er own brand ?, don and whose primary claim to fame is doing the glamorous hue- 13 years old that what I wanted to do was work with wood," says Tes- riors of superyachts. sier. Although he was born in Paris, he grew up as the youngest of and helps me with my projects:?, REMI TESSIER ,A; is Paris studio, which employs 15 people and is within walk- five children in St. Etienne in eastern central France. ing distance of the Champs-Elys€es, is currently one of the top One day, when he had just turned 15, he announced to his parents a addresses for interior design. Tessier develops his spectacular, (his father was an enthusiastic painter) that he would be leaving I. EFTA01203737  REMI TESSIER'S LATEST COMMISSION Creativity lies in the family: happy times at home in Paris, where mom Carole has also started her own fashion label, "Preciously." Iro home to join the "Compagnons du Devoir," an association of trades- show me the way forward. I have to get a feeling for a project and a men and artisans. For seven years the young REmi traveled through person, and the extent to which we understand each other? France with the organization that dates back to the Middle Ages, And how exactly did he make the significant leap from residential in- learning everything about the cabinetmaking trade. "There came a teriors to those ofsuperyachts? "One ofmy clients, for whom I had pre- time when I realized that I didn't want to do this my whole life and I viously designed a house in Geneva, wanted to build a yacht in 1999. needed to make a change in order to move forward. I had only a sin- He was actually playing with the idea of getting a big-name designer gle month's wages in my pocket and absolutely no contacts. When involved. But one day he knocked on my door although I had never be- For "Grace E," Tessier has just been awarded a Best Interior Design prize at the Monaco Yacht Show. The 73-meter Picchiotti motor yacht with cabins for twelve guests and a 22-member crew was completed by Perini Navi in 2014. The typical shell chairs and large, comfort- I knocked on the fancy studio doors they looked at my dirty hands, fore worked on a yacht, asked me to build him one and I went for the able sofas both recognizably bear the famous Tessier signature. saw that I hadn't had the right schooling and had no portfolio, and challenge. It wasn't easy! Perini Navi had never collaborated with an turned me away." external designer. I learned an incredible amount on that project and Having nowhere to go he turned to the street and approached small got so involved in the various processes that I basically started man- shop owners for work. "I got my first commission when I promised aging the entire thing. At first, they weren't very happy about this at the owner of a flower shop that I could make it look much larger by Perini but when the yacht Squall was finally completed, they absolute- simply hanging mirrors everywhere. That's how I earned my first fee." ly loved her. And for myself, I discovered that this type of work drew hrough friends, Tessier eventually heard about a bigger job in on all the strengths and skills that I had developed over the years. Of- T southern France. where they were looking for someone to put together a promotion for a new residential project. "I traveled to Juan-les-Pins and was told that if I could deliver within three weeks the fering clients full service from beginning to end is one of our greatest strengths. In fact. it is something our clients are addicted to!" last over the R 14 more has boats 6mi 20 designed Tessler than job would be mine!" News of the dedicated young man named Remi years, and he is currently working on his biggest project to date. Tessier spread so quickly that he was soon able to set up a studio in "It's a 170-meter motor yacht. I'm doing both the interior and Lyon, employ 15 people and within the first five years of the business, the exterior for a client from the Middle East. When he first contact- take on numerous commercial projects in Lyon. Geneva and Saint-Tro- ed me. he asked me to send him my portfolio. 'I'm sorry,' I told him, pez, as well as his first orders from private customers. "I immediately 'I prefer to meet you in person.'" After a 10-minute presentation he found that much more interesting because I prefer to talk to private asked me if I would stay for dinner. I call myself an artisan designer people rather than to marketing strategists. This is probably because and I am very fond of that term. I still do very many things myself, I always put so much of myself into my projects and let my instincts and handle each project personally as if it were my own." Mc All names and addresses on page IS& 40 41 EFTA01203738