Conversation with Bruno de Caumont: "No Concession to Mediocrity"

In a January feature story, TT promised to share any news on our favorite interior designer and reluctant Count, Bruno de Caumont, about his pending move to this side of the pond.

The rising international design star cast a little ray of his brilliant light in our direction recently, when we received an email - straight from the source. And who could have imagined, what a charming correspondent he would be. Apologizing profusely for delays in writing, offering to answer as many questions as we could come up with. Now, if we weren't already impressed by Caumont's design genius, his gorgeous color-saturated furniture designs, his aristocratic lineage and international élan (and dare we say, mysterious, smoldering looks), we now are truly smitten. But then, of course, he is French.

Caumont put me at ease right away, explaining his heritage and how to address him. (He must be accustomed to questions from Americans who don't know the ins and outs of European aristocracy.) He suggested I call him "Bruno", "Caumont" or "Bruno de Caumont." So, of course, Bruno, it is! Bruno's English is not perfect, but that only adds to the charm - that and a seemingly genuine warmth and earnestness.
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We asked Bruno about his background:
{I'm born French, from a French family in Brussels. But my origins are Normandy, Paris and, from my mother's side, Algeria, when it was a French country.}

Please click on any image to enlarge.

The uncropped version of the portrait published in House & Garden, April 06, when Bruno was named one of their "50 For The Future of Design." This is Bruno's apartment in Brussels, and most of the furnishings shown are his designs. Photograph by Pascal Chevallier for House & Garden magazine.

What kind of home did you grow up in and how did that influence your interest in interior design and antiques:
{As my father was an Officer of the French Army, we were always on the move. Every two years. Then my parents decided to stay in Paris to assure their children the best schools (I have one brother and one sister, both younger than me). Our apartment was a real Parisian one, in one of those buildings from the late 19th century. I guess the influence came to me from the Paris Flea Market, where I went every weekend once I had my first apartment.}

And, what about your reported move to the U.S.?
{So, the plans have changed. I'm not going to move definitely to NYC, that's why I didn't purchase a home in town. I want to work here from time to time, especially to promote my furniture line and be able to offer my 'French touch' to the New York world of interior design.

For the moment, I only have an apartment in Brussels, and I'm traveling from Belgium to the States about every two months. If the need comes to move to NYC in the next years, I'll definitely make it for good.}

Tell us about your famous association with Madeleine Castaing:
{I met her once, in her shop, and we had a long talk about the Paris Flea Market, not at all about interior design. She hated to talk about interior design, because for her, "it was not such an interesting conversation."

Then a few years later, one of my friends in real estate proposed a visit to her private apartment, located above her shop on Rue Bonaparte. That was a few weeks after she died. During the visit, I immediately got the atmosphere of the home, and I was totally seduced by the place. It was then I discovered who she was, and that she was such an important interior designer.

During the years between her death and the Sotheby's auction of the contents of her country home and shop, I had begun working with Edmond Petit on the Castaing fabric collection, and had come to be considered in Paris as Madeleine Castaing reincarnated.} Here Bruno interjected an LOL. {Sotheby's asked me to set up the exhibition for the auction – where I bought several items for clients, but none for myself. Interestingly enough, the auction took place at the same time as the Maison & Objet Paris decorative show where I was setting up a double booth for Mariage Frères and Maison Madame Figaro, in the taste of Madeleine Castaing!}

The Mariage Frères tea company booth Bruno designed for the 10th anniversary of Maison & Objet Paris, in the taste of Madeleine Castaing.

Do you prefer interior design or furniture design?
{To be honest, I love interior design, but I can't live without the work on my furniture line. The funny thing is that the two are so different ... but I'm coming to a much simpler place where my furniture has its own identity.}

Of all your design projects, which is your favorite?
{An apartment in Paris where I recreated some of the Louis XV period details – most of the flat still had the original details. But I integrated them with flashy colors and unusual materials, fabric and stone.}

Photo from Bruno's last apartment, showing the Madeleine Castaing fabrics he designed for Edmund Petit.

How do you approach a design project?
{For me, there are two periods in a design project. The first one is all about removals ... electricity, bathroom, kitchen, lighting, colors, curtains ... all that you absolutely need to have in your home before you move in. I work very hard for weeks and weeks to make the best choices and decide about all the details before starting the work. This is essential, because when the work starts, it costs too much money to make changes. It's always a big surprise to me when I hear from people that their designer realized, after the walls have been painted, that they forgot about the electrical plan.

The second period is when my clients have moved into their new home. Then, step by step, we decide what to buy, what they want. You can't decide months before you live in a place, the way you are going to use it. And a designer can't decide for you. You have to feel the interiors, because it's your own space, and it needs to be peaceful and warm. You should love to be at home. And that is my mission when I'm working on a home. My motto is "No concession to mediocrity!"}

Dinner at Bruno's. What a treat it must be to get an invitation. The understated but elegant tablesetting includes monogrammed white napkins and embroidered tablecloth, gold-rimmed white china, simple flowers (orange poppies) that match the decor, and a couple of decanters of wine.

These two photos are from Bruno's first apartment in Paris when he was a 'fleamarketer.'
You can see Bruno's penchant for classical design elements - in vases, artwork, statues and columns. Lovely architectural details and chevron wood floors provide a stunning backdrop. See an informative post on Things That Inspire about chevron and herringbone wood floors.

Tell us about your daily routine:

{I wake up every morning around 7 am, and start to work before 8 am. I like to write and send letters, then I check my e-mails. After that, I may have meetings, or I stay home to design. I need to be up-to-date on books, architecture, and painting, so I do visit a lot of galleries and antiques dealers. At night, I usually have a dinner party at my place or at my friends' places. I don't really like restaurants, as that is the only way for me to meet people when I'm traveling.

In fact, I'm traveling at least 7-8 months a year out of Belgium: New York, Paris, Saigon (where I manufacture my furniture because of their traditional methods of producing lacquerware as in the 16th century), Dubai (I'm the Fair Curator of the Art + Design Fair which will take place in January 2009), and London.}

Bruno's musings about Dubai:
{The only difficulty with Dubai is that there is no point of comparison. You have desert and towers, skyliners or buildings. And the sea. But you can't really see the sea because of the buildings ... It's the new New World, and it's not the best I know.}

What are you working on now?
{I am still working on the Madeleine Castaing fabric collection, but am working more on my own projects. I'm designing a new collection of fabrics for Edmond Petit, I have new designs for my furniture line, and I am working on the interiors of a flat on Madison Avenue in NYC.

The new fabrics and furniture will be presented in a New York showroom in late September or early October. The Madison Avenue apartment will be designed VERY much like my Paris apartment – in the style of Madeleine Castaing – but we are just beginning.}

What do you like to do when you're not working?
{I haven't had a vacation in 4 years!

But I cook a lot ... and quite well, if I listen to the compliments and the joy of my friends when they are invited!}

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A very busy count who writes letters and cooks, too ... we're in awe!
Thank you so much, Bruno, for taking time to share your thoughts and a glimpse of your life.
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Note: Bruno says his Brussels apartment will be photographed by French Elle Decoration in September. So keep an eye open, and we'll try to get more details on the publication date. Also, more to come on the New York showroom that will present Bruno's new furniture and fabrics.

For more about Madeleine Castaing, check out An Aesthete's Lament.

All photos © Bruno de Caumont

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