Object of the Week

‘Clement Cabinet’, 2022

Jallu

By Adrian Madlener / 24th March 2022
Jallu, 'Clement Cabinet', 2022 COURTESY: Jallu

Jallu, ‘Clement Cabinet’, 2022
COURTESY: Jallu

PIXELATION TAKES ON new meaning in Jallu Ébénistes’s ‘Clement Cabinet’, sumptuously crafted using the rare materials mica and pyrite. These mineral-based composites lend themselves to rectilinear refinement and compositions – defying the traditional distinctions between naturalistic and modernist style. Pyrite, which is extracted from the earth in iridescent clusters, forms the base of the piece. The more malleable mica, which can be split into thin, delicate layers and applied as a veneer, has been carefully applied in a matrix of green and black tones – interspersed by small patches of selenite gypsum. If this weren’t enough thoughtful complexity, the furnishing is enclosed in oak veneer that weathered at the bottom of Paris’s Seine river for a century.

‘Cabinet Clement’ is part of the Brittany-based atelier’s 2022 collection currently on view in the company’s Saint-Germain-des-Près gallery and this month’s PAD Paris (5th-10th April). Conceived by artistic director Sandra Scolnik-Jallu and her partner master ébéniste Yann Jallu, this latest offering of furnishings and accessories is a celebration of the artisanal prowess which lies at the heart of French decorative arts traditions. Championing age-old techniques, art-deco motifs, and a contemporary sensibility, Jallu caters to the luxury interior and yacht markets. Most of its wares can be customised to exacting requirements.

“For this year’s collection, we paid close attention to the interiors of the pieces,” Sandra explains. The ‘Clement Cabinet’ opens up to reveal two interior drawers and compartments lined in parchment – Jallu’s claim to fame and most successful material. The various shimmering textural qualities and hidden structural elements combine in volumetric effect.

Jallu Ébéniste

Article by Adrian Madlener
Article by Adrian Madlener
Adrian Madlener is a Brussels-born, New York-based writer covering a wide range of design-related topics. View all articles by Adrian Madlener