Claude & Francois-Xavier Lalanne / June 30, 2014 by Raji Radhakrishnan

It isn't an entirely new concept when designers talk about sculptural furnishings. It's been a stylistic aspect of many designer's work for decades and something I strive for in most interiors I create. My personal thoughts have always been that whenever possible make the furnishings (that includes furniture, lighting and accessories) as sculptural as possible but hopefully not at the expense of comfort or practicality. If comfort was the only objective, I think it would make for pretty but bland and boring interiors. On the other hand, if beautiful and sculptural furnishings were the only objective then the rooms tend to feel like museums. Hence the adage, a balance between form and function. One way to do this, is to keep all the key pieces of furnishings in a room as practical and comfortable (and beautiful) as possible and then introduce at least one terrific piece even if it is purely for it's sculptural presence.

Mouflon de Pauline, 1993, by Francois Xavier Lalanne

There are many beautiful and sculptural furniture out there but to me the ones that are the epitome and the very definition of sculptural furniture are those made by the Lalannes. Of late, auction prices for the Lalannes have skyrocketed so much (and for good reason) that it makes acquiring one of their pieces as rare and pricey as a Picasso. The husband and wife duo, the late Francois-Xavier Lalanne and Claude Lalanne, both worked and exhibited together and you can see how much their thoughts and works were in unison. They had different subject matter preferences. Francois preferred over-sized animal figures with secret compartments, whereas Claude, now 86, enjoys flora over fauna and also worked on jewelry and more intricate and smaller subjects. But the sculptural quality, materials and the basic whimsical nature of both their pieces spoke to each other so well that I think one picked up where the other left off. That is the kind of flourish that's hard to come by. And the kind of work that I think will inspire us for centuries and generations to come. Il est certainement ma tasse de thé!

These are some of my favorite Lalanne pieces - images via Flickr & Pinterest

One of my favorite is this 1964, rhinoceros-shaped bar created by Francois Xavier Lalanne

Lalannes Raji RM Interior Design Washington DC New York-2

Ginkgo: A patinated bronze side chair designed by Claude Lalanne, 1996

Claude+Lalanne Raji RM Interior Design Washington DC New York

Gotham Magazine Lalannes Raji RM Interior Design Washington DC New York

Yves Saint Laurent & Pierre Bergé home in Paris

Lalannes Raji RM Interior Design Washington DC New York

Francois Xavier Lalanne Raji RM Interior Design Washington DC New York

Oiseau d'Argent chair by François-Xavier Lalanne

Paris Apartment of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé featuring branches and leaf clad mirrors by Claude Lalanne. Image via Christie's.

Raji RM & Associates | Interior Designer & Decorator

Washington DC | New York

Interior Architecture: Enfilade / April 15, 2014 by Raji Radhakrishnan

Enfilade: an interconnected group of rooms arranged usually in a row with each room opening into the next - Merriam-Webster

I was eleven years old when I first traveled around Europe for my classical dance performances. Visiting some of the greatest cities - London, Wales, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam et al and usually the day after a performance, I was whisked away by the families and friends who were our hosts and given a tour of the city. These tours often included some of the local palaces and gardens. Although I couldn't understand the significance then or appreciate the full history and architecture of the places I visited, I do remember feeling an awe at the grandeur and ornamentation and particularly remember enjoying the vast spaces and the room after room after room that I could see through in one length and run back and forth to the dismay of my parents. Little did I know the important architectural concept that would in many ways quite literally shape my life.

In my early twenties, one of the first words I learnt in architecture and design and still love is - the enfilade. Wikipedia has a nice definition of it - in architecture, an enfilade is a suite of rooms formally aligned with each other. This was a common feature in grand European architecture from the Baroque period onward, although there are earlier examples, such as the Vatican stanze. The doors entering each room are aligned with the doors of the connecting rooms along a single axis, providing a vista through the entire suite of rooms. The enfilade may be used as a processional route and is a common arrangement in museums and art galleries, as it facilitates the movement of large numbers of people through a building.

I for one could not wait to create an enfilade in my own home (see photos above) which I finally did last year. Need I say il est juste ma tasse de thé?!

See more of Raji's home here and here.

Raji RM & Associates | Interior Designer & Decorator

Washington DC | New York