Fine Arts Paris is set to return for its fifth edition from September 19 to 23 under the glass dome of the Grand Palais near the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The event will feature around 100 international dealers presenting a diverse range of fine art, furniture, textiles, antiquities, and jewellery. This year, guest designer Charles Zana has envisioned the fair as “an ephemeral city,” structured into three interconnected villages linked by pathways and open squares, encouraging visitors to discover works as if wandering through a neighborhood.
To offer visitors curated insight, seven interior designers have each selected a standout piece from the fair and shared their thoughts on how they would incorporate the artwork or furniture into interior settings.
Jessica Mille highlighted the “Guéridon arbre aux bourgeons” (circa 1962) by Diego Giacometti, a bronze table that she described as blurring the boundaries between sculpture and furniture. She envisions the piece in the entryway of a vernacular drystone home nestled in a landscape similar to the Cévennes, where the design complements local topography and materials, establishing a poetic introduction to the house.
Sarah Poniatowski selected “Sète” (circa 1947), a handmade stamped earth mirror by Mithé Espelt, priced at €26,000. She appreciates its simplicity and emotional resonance, suggesting it would be suited to an entrance space fully clad in wood, including a mahogany-like glossy ceiling, hung above a console.
Jacques Grange showcased a pair of neo-Egyptian style armchairs featuring Nemes heads dating from around 1800 by Ephraim Ståhl, valued between €60,000 and €80,000. He noted their sculptural presence and proposed placing them symmetrically in a Pompeian red-painted entrance hall flanking an Art Deco console.
Constance Guisset drew attention to a pair of chairs from the “Saint-Séance Padouk” series (circa 1905) by Gustave Serrurier-Bovy, incorporating Loetz glass panels and brass, with an estimated price range of €40,000 to €50,000. She suggested using them as focal points in a bedroom, complemented by a wallpaper design that elongates their vertical red lines, extended onto the flooring to create a light-filled, striped space.
François-Joseph Graf highlighted a marquetry and gilt bronze chiffonière (circa 1775) by Jean-Henri Riesener, offered at €750,000 by Galerie Steinitz. He emphasized the piece’s perfect proportions and refined details, seeing it as a historical reminder of 18th-century French furniture and noting a recent resurgence of interest among a younger, more knowledgeable clientele.
Charles Zana, the event’s guest designer, selected the “Feuille de marronnier” chair (1895) by Louis Majorelle, made of walnut with marquetry and original corduroy velvet upholstery, priced at €10,000. He envisioned the chair placed in a bathroom styled as a private salon with views of a garden, where natural light would enhance the carved walnut’s textures. He reflected on how such a harmonious setting might appeal even to household pets.
Finally, India Mahdavi chose “La licorne passe sur la mer” (1959), a handwoven wool tapestry by Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier, priced at $450,000 by Boccara Gallery. She expressed admiration for the piece’s architectural design and sensitive use of color, imagining it displayed above a bench or sofa against a glossy red lacquered wall.
Fine Arts Paris continues to attract a wide range of connoisseurs and interior designers, offering a platform to explore unique pieces and historical treasures within a thoughtfully curated setting.