MAD - musée des arts décoratifs
The museum of decorative arts (MAD), situated just along from le Louvre, had not been on our list of things to see, but a friend of ours had recently visited the Art Deco exhibition which is currently on there, and recommended it. It’s a period I love, and I was particularly interested, as it incorporated displays of how they have recently renovated l’Orient express.
The exhibition started with a display of all manner of period objet d’art, each one demonstrating the importance of bold colour, texture, and pattern. From cigarette cases to chaises longues, the intricacy of pattern and surface texture are key to the luxurious nature of Art Deco. They often used nature to inform their patterns, and to bring its designs to life.
But of course, the movement spanned the whole world of design, and interiors received the same level of reverence, with form, colour, and texture bringing an abundance of richness.
Like this amazing library, designed by Pierre Chareau for the Paris Exhibition of 1925. A dome in the ceiling supports two wooden posts that feature a fan-like structure that allows the amount of light to be adjusted in the room. The dark, masculine library was created for the French ambassador. It was like a room within a room, rather spectacular to be able to view it through windows on all sides as a true 360°.
The interiors were not limited to static structures, even trains of the time were designed to be luxurious. In 1883, the Orient Express became a famous example of this iconic era. It travelled from Paris to Constantinople in 81 hours, via Munich, Vienna, and Bucharest, and in incredible style. What fun and decadence it must have been to travel on it.
Nowadays, the designers are thinking more of the technical constraints on board a train: insulation, controlling noise and vibration, and the integration of modern comforts (Wi-Fi, air conditioning etc).
The exhibits show how the revival of the New Orient Express is a major industrial design project, that will be an ambassador for French luxury, so it’s not just about considering the technical challenges, but also the aesthetic ones. It has been a massive undertaking. Maxime d'Angeac is the interior designer, managing thousands of skilled craftspeople from some thirty different trades, all experts in their field, and all contributing to a work of art 350 meters long. It’s so exciting that this has been possible.
They had displayed old posters on the walls as we were leaving and we both noticed there was a poster for the Blue train, or ‘le train bleu’, which took passengers from Gare de Lyon to the French Riviera. Now there’s a thought…
