Hermès Home 2019: Noble Materials

These are such stuff as Hermès dreams are made on.

“I love that I have an ancestor called Thierry Hermès, who was born in Krefeld, which is now in Germany. He dreamt of going to Paris and opening his workshop. He actually walked all the way from Germany to Paris in 1820, and eventually opened his workshop. So the birth of Hermès is born out of a dream. Yes, dreaming is the fuel of desire…”

It was a fitting origin story that Hermès artistic director Pierre-Alexis Dumas recalled when talking about the importance of creating space for dreaming as the brand projects itself into the future. After all, 2019 has been declared the year for dreaming at Hermès .

Originally established as a saddle and harness company by Thierry Hermès in 1837, Hermès entered the 20th century with a big design shift towards accessories. Today, the prestige brand has grown to encompass a vast range of products, from its iconic leather bags and silk scarves to jewellery and even baby products.

In 2011, Hermès launched its debut furniture and homeware range, and has consistently produced stunning collections year on year, complemented by a comprehensive selection of tableware, upholstery fabrics and wallpaper.

In praise of form

This year, the brand shines a spotlight on the integrity of materials in all its form, especially paying tribute to its equestrian heritage with a play on leather, wood, and cashmere and silk plaid. Its colours and motifs are bold, bright and blocky, and delight in the playful geometry of lines and zigzags.

For its stunning showcase at Milan Design Week, Hermès kept the visual mood elemental and brooding against pathways of dry stonewalls, the earthy tones of greys and brown serving to highlight the tactility and nobility of the raw materials used for the collection.

We highlight some of the standout pieces of the Hermès Home 2019 collection:

Coulisse, table lamp by Tomas Alonso, bamboo, paper, coppered steel

Evocative of the light and shadow of a theatre stage, Coulisse is an incredibly airy and meticulously assembled structure of paper screens on a wood and steel structure. “We wanted to retain the idea that emerged from the first prototypes, which was something extremely light but also quite fragile,” says its Spanish designer Tomas Alonso.

Les Hippomobiles, plaid by Gianpaolo Pagni, cashmere, silk, cotton, glass

Using the Hermès motif of a horse, Italian designer Gianpaolo Pagni works with contrasting interpretations of its equestrian heritage against a punchy backdrop of brightly coloured cashmere appliques and geometric shapes.

Hecate and Halo, table lamps by Barber and Osgerby, black granite, Limoges porcelain

A sombre pair, the Hecate and Halo lamps contrast each other in perfect harmony – the Hecate black and intense and hewn from an exceptionally dense material, and the Halo white and luminous in flawless porcelain. According to the British industrial designer duo, “this granite is very, very close to the rock that is found on the moon.”

H Casaque, cigar and watch boxes, wood, leather

Crafted using a traditional decorative technique called marquetry, which combines wood and other materials, these exquisite boxes are made from precise blocks of veneer, solid wood pieces and calfskin, precisely inlaid. “These materials will evolve in a certain way with time and temperature,” explains its principal designer Josephine Ciaudo.

Paddock, vases, hand painted enamel metal

This graphic collection of cylinders reflects the design motifs of the signature Hermès enamel bracelets, and plays with contrasting hand painted herringbones, stripes and checks.