Authenticity and beauty are the current trends in decoration. Blending traditional craftsmanship with innovation, wool is finding new uses and diversifying with artistry.
Long relegated to the realm of fashion and considered too rustic for chic interiors, wool is experiencing a resurgence in design, driven by the dynamism of professionals in the wool industry. Founded in 2009 in Felletin, the Lainamac association works to promote it. Its showroom has seen a growing number of interior designers and decorators over the past three years, particularly during the last Paris Design Week. The shift in our society towards consuming local, eco-responsible products with guaranteed traceability has indeed accelerated with the Covid-19 pandemic, as lockdowns encouraged French people to spend more on improving their living spaces. A comforting material, wool satisfies the desire to curl up in one's home. Standardized decor, however luxurious, is less popular. The trend towards authenticity and handcrafted items is thus benefiting wool, a noble material whose advantages professionals are discovering. Insulating, hygroscopic, and fire-resistant, wool can be shaped in countless ways, opening up new possibilities. Lyse Drouaine, founder of Luxdawn, has observed that wool—often blended with other fibers—is increasingly present at the Filo trade fair in Milan, dedicated to textiles. She herself weaves wool with silk, cotton, and linen threads, interwoven with optical fibers to create luminous panels. She is now exploring ways to incorporate acoustic insulation properties. But innovation also lies in combining different skills. For example, Ghislaine Garcin plays with textures, combining knit and felt to create her small collections of objects and rugs. Using the Nuno Silk technique, Laurine Malengreau creates wall decorations in wool and silk, combining them with all types of fabrics to create effects of texture and transparency reminiscent of abstract paintings. The illusionistic manipulation of wool is also expressed in the vases of Jenny Braeckman, founder of Mö felt creations. Sculpted from felt and stiffened by starching, they possess the transparency of bisque porcelain. From tradition to art, wool opens up a world of possibilities.
www.lainamac.fr
http://luxdawn.fr/
www.ghislainegarcin.fr/
www.oolmoo.com
www.mocreationsfeutrees.fr/
By Sophie Reyssat