Acclaimed French decorator and interior architect Pierre Yovanovitch has pulled back the curtains on his very own furniture label. Titled Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier (PYMO), the brand debuts 45 pieces of lighting, seating and accessories, each bearing the hallmarks of the designer’s playful yet sophisticated style. Kicking off the celebrations, the announcement has been marked with a temporary installation at the 17th-century Académie d’Architecture building in Paris and a photoshoot at the magnificent Château de Volonne – a landmark residence close to Pierre’s home in southeastern France.
Arriving twenty years after the Pierre Yovanovitch atelier was founded in Paris, the launch of Mobilier as an independent furniture brand signals a major shift for the designer. He had previously limited the production of furniture and lighting to one-off commissions or special-edition releases, such as the Oops and Love collection that was exhibited in 2017 and 2019 at the R & Company gallery in New York. With PYMO, Pierre now brings together all the functions related to his furniture endeavours: design, production, promotion and sales, plus distribution to a much broader audience.
Luxe launch: Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier
“Creating custom furniture and lighting works has been an integral part of my design process since starting my practice in 2001,” Pierre says in a statement. “These works started as a way for me to ensure the design elements of a client’s interior were of the highest quality and were completely unique to the space, though the pieces I created quickly evolved into a form of creative expression in and of itself.”
Citing references to Art Deco, the French Riviera and American Modernism, PYMO combines Pierre’s iconic tailor-made approach with exceptional craftsmanship and materiality. Pieces in the collection employ locally sourced and sustainable timber, high-quality natural fibres, hand-blown glass, and organic and non-toxic adhesives. In addition, Pierre works with outstanding artisans from France and Switzerland who are masters of traditional craft techniques. The partnership with a French textile specialist who received the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (a prestigious award which recognises the best craftspeople in France) is just one example of the calibre of artisans involved with pieces in Mobilier’s production.
Highlights of the PYMO collection include the ‘Wave’ bench, which places a rippled seat between finely crafted legs of oiled solid oak; the ‘Hopper’ armchairs, whose voluptuous bouclé cushions and hammered-bronze frame can be specified with or without arms; the ‘Poppy’ coffee table, a free-form lava stone piece that mimics the red and black colourway of its namesake; and the ‘ET’ table lamp, an alien-like luminaire that combines a frosted glass shade with a white-washed ceramic base. Fan favourites such as Pierre’s Goldilocks-inspired ‘Bear’ range of chairs are also a welcome – and huggable – part of the Mobilier collection.
For self-taught furniture designer Pierre, who once worked in men’s fashion under the expertise of Pierre Cardin, the PYMO collection is a “dream come true,” he says. Mobilier is now viewable through a dedicated online store, while Pierre says he will open the doors to a boutique in his beloved Paris later this year; a bricks-and-mortar venture which will undoubtedly showcase selected pieces from his growing range of modern-day classics.
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Creating custom furniture and lighting works has been an integral part of my design process since starting my practice in 2001.
