Atelier 27: Art Meets Interior Design

With a strong passion for art, seen as an holistic and unexpected experience beyond its aesthetic value, Joséphine Fossey and Florence Lipszyc founded ​Atelier 27 in 2013. Inspired by the environment and the specific area of each project, the work of Atelier 27 starts by fully diving into the soul of a place through a variety of artistic mediums such as films, books, emerging talents, history and local traditions with the mission of creating a bespoke range of creations, tailored to their own locations and histories.

Explore the outstanding projects of Atelier 27 characterized by an impactful, mindful and timeless aesthetic. By building bridges between places and cultures and bringing together international artists and local craftsmen, every space is curated to create memorable and immersive guest experiences.

How did you first become involved in the world of design? Tell us your story.

Florence and I met in 2011 at Christie’s in Paris. We worked together in the impressionist and modern art department, and notably during the sale of the iconic collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé. During this thrilling period which shaped our eyes, we realized that very often, art and styling were an afterthought during an interior design project. At that time and still today, we truly believe that art is the best way to reveal concealed emotions, to elevate sensations, to raise identities. So, in 2013 we founded Atelier 27, a creative studio providing art consulting and artistic directions for luxury hospitality projects as well as private residences and luxury houses like cartier for example. We create genuine connections, artistic emulations to offer non-compromising « totems » and experiences as a new way to engage.

​How would you describe your personal style and what’s the personal signature that makes your projects unique?

We consider ourselves as Art Storytellers. We stand for Art as a holistic and unexpected experience beyond its aesthetic value. We fully dive into the soul of a place, of a personality to feel its story, its heart and highlight its singularity through a masterpiece. For the beautiful Claridge in London for example, we had a great base of research and history to start our artistic story from. But then we also wanted to tell this iconic story in a new way, looking at it through fresh eyes and giving the guests a new experience. Lastly, we leave a touch of our French roots “L’art de vivre à la française”! therefore the most accurate way to describe our style is probably defined as the perfect balance between the French refinement and the projects story.

​Where do you draw inspiration for your projects?

First and foremost, it is of course of the environment and the specific place of the project that inspires us and that we draw our overarching ideas from. We dive into the local culture through all kinds of mediums,such as films, books, artists, history, traditions and personalities. For example, for our project Orient Express we went on a 1 month sourcing trip, searching for artists, craftsmen and outstanding talents in Thailand. Often times we also find emerging talents that we discover through exhibitions in art schools and that we introduce to our clients to surprise them with something completely new. Our current project Seabourn comes to mind. For this luxury expedition ship we are getting inspired by all the different places the ship has on its itinerary, working with many well-established artists but also young and new ones, to keep an interesting balance. Since the passengers cross the art pieces multiple times a day, we want to surprise them andentice them in a new way.

​What do you think it’s going to be the next big trend in interior design?

There is definitely a new trend in the way projects get approached. Design is becoming more and more influenced by the space it is created for and not the other way around. There are also less boarders between the different disciplines, everything is getting blurred. Different talents from different domains are getting involved in projects, completely independent from their expertise. A great example here for is the hotel “les deuxgares” in Paris, designed by Luke Edward Hall. This artist creates spaces, as well as clothes, artworks and even dishes. How inspiring is that? Design is moving more in the direction, that once the red thread guiding the project has been defined everything is allowed and there are no more distinctions between retail, hospitality, artistic or styling curators. It is all about the atmosphere and the artistic story you want to tell, no matter where your expertise lie.

​What is your favorite project you have worked on and why?

I wouldn’t say favorite, we have been very lucky to have worked on a very diverse portfolio so far and all our projects are very unique. But one of our most iconic ones was of course the Lutetia in Paris. It was a great chance to work on the only palace rive gauche in our own city. The hotel was shaped by its great artistic past and we wanted to pay homage to all the great artists that walked through its halls. We took inspiration for the art collection from movies, literature and anything we could find to tell the story of this “hotel des arts” as originally and authentically as possible.

​What would be your dream project to work on?

The dream for us is obviously to have total creative freedom and a client with a lot of courage to try something new. This could be creating our own porcelain for a hotel or in general taking the standard hotel codes (uniforms, bed sheets etc) and giving a new take on it. For example, we are currently working on the Rosewood Vienna for which we are collaborating with the renowned artist Erwin Wurm. The hotel has an entrance through a semi –private courtyard and we wanted to create an artwork that would be accessible to everyone. We had the idea to play with the echo in the courtyard and to create an installation that would speak to the people passing through as well as setting the atmosphere for the guests entering the hotel. Together with Erwin Wurm, we are now creating a unique installation that will bring the beginning of our artistic story in front of the doors of the hotel.