Grange: rethinking eras, or 110 years of the art of living

The French brand called Grange, which has been revealing the French history of beauty to the world for 110 years now, is called “Art de vivre’s embassador”. This story has both the boldness of the brilliant Marquise de Pompadour, and the asceticism of the Directory, the vibrating colors of the impressionists, and the pure simplicity of the timeless Provence style, and much more.

Grange is not just "collections", but a fascinating historical "furniture novel," a novel about styles and eras, the passion and the triumph of the great people, about conquest and accomplishments… And at the same time – about the simple human joys, the value of the sun on the beach in the morning, the aroma of crisp baguette on a wooden table, the memory of family dinners with one’s grandmother.

Let's take a look, shall we?

 

One of Grange’s core collections, named after the year of foundation of the brand – "1904", is a dynamic song of the dawn of a new era, when cars, telephones and film were becoming common, and the Wright Brothers had raised a plane in the sky for the first time just about a year ago (in 1903). The collection is made of solid oak and seemingly worn-out metal.

 

Exactly 100 years before the birth of Grange, the era of the Consulate ended in France. Formally, the country had been ruled by three consuls, but the first of them, Napoleon Bonaparte, was slowly but surely turning into the future emperor. The Consulat collection is a memory of Napoleon's campaign in Egypt, embodied in interior, an adventurous project, which hasn’t brought France much profit, but marked the beginning of a new wave of interest for Egyptian antiquity in Europe. The Consulate style is simple, solid and dramatic, just like the camp life of the First Consul. There is already a little more detail (e.g., silver hardware) than in the previous style of the Directory (the impression from the Egyptian decorative art had played its role), but the forms are still the just as simple and concise: sharp angles, flat surfaces, careful symmetry. The choice of wood (cherry, traditional for Southern Europe) adds quality and nobleness to the collection.

 

The Directory era, preceding to the Consulate, wasn’t ignored as well. Directoire has simple straight lines, diamond-shaped parts and no frills: the Puritan style of the post-revolutionary era.

 

1853. The year of great change in Paris: the famous year of the Ottoman reconstruction. Narrow medieval streets disappear from the French capital, and are replaced with airy and wide boulevards that "the city of love and art" is going to be famous for during the next half a century. The Osman "cult of the axis" has become the basis for the symmetric and "sober" collection by Grange Haussmann. Square corners, a minimum of details and seemingly "chrome" finish.

 

Now let’s peek even deeper into the past, into the Grand Siècle, the great epoch. The 17th century, the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King, is well known here, at least, due to the novels of Dumas. Palace gossip, scandals, intrigue and incredible, exorbitant luxury. The Collection Grand Siècle by Grange is inspired by the luxurious Versailles with its incredible gardens, created by the great Le Nôtre, and the awesome "marquetry puzzles" made by the skillful cabinetmaker Charles-Andre Boulle. At the same time, there is no redundancy in the collection: inspired by luxury, it is surprisingly elegant.

 

Ateliers de Grange – furniture, inspired by the furnishings of old merchant houses. With its business-like shapes and stylish finish, it looks almost vintage. Multifunction office, cabinets and desks will please the fans of organized space.

 

Bastide is for those who gets pleasant "butterflies in the stomach" from the words "breakfast in Provence": a foretaste of crispy bread with fresh butter, fresh juices and tender gnocchi. Modular kitchens Bastide, assembled in the traditional way (on thorns and grooves), are made of solid French oak, patinated according to the traditions of Aix-en-Provence.

 

The above items are already breathtaking, but that's not all. Grange really represents the history of France in furniture. Pompadoure, Marie Galante, Jacob, Louis-Philippe, Ermitage, Stendhal, Provençal and Exceptions de Grange – find the France that you’re really in love with.