GILLES & BOISSIER

A young and energic design duo is behind some of the most appreciated design projects of the last 15 years, a balanced partnership made of contrasting forces, called Gilles & Boissier.

The faithful encounter of the designers – partners at work as in life – led them to build a successful architecture, decoration and graphic design agency. Dorothee Boissier studied at the prestigious school of art direction and interior architecture Penninghen-Esag, in Paris, and then went to work with Christian Liaigre first and Philippe Starck later; the meeting with Patrick Gilles came to be at Christian Liaigre, from where Gilles & Boissier came into existence.

Different points of view and opposite aesthetics are at the core of the design company, founded in 2004: thanks to Remo Ruffini, who believed so much in them to hire them to design his 200 Moncler Italian shop, in addition to his private residence on the Lake Como, his chalet in Saint-Moritz and his yacht; then, it was the turn of Barry Sternlicht’s Baccarat Hotels. From that moment on, they were launched into design stardom.

Ever since the first design of Moncler, Gilles & Boissier has been assigned to work on the Moncler projects for several locations around the world.

Other than commercial and residential projects, the design firm is also working on hospitality design. Mandarin Oriental Marrakech is one of my favorite from them.

Tadelakt is a very used construction technique in Morocco. This technique consists of covering the walls of the house to give it a smooth, waterproof, lime-based texture. The Tadelakt technique is often used inside houses.

Rustic yet sophisticated, the design of the Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech was performed by the French duo Patrick Gilles and Dorothée Boissier. With its Arabic-Andalusian and Berber influences, the feeling is of relaxed luxury. The inner and outer spaces coexist and the focus is the essential materials rather than ostentatious pretensions, their emphasis is on light.