Who would have thought that designing yacht interiors would lead Marion Stora to embrace interior design with such poetic confidence? Or maybe it’s precisely because she spent many years imagining luxurious, self-contained floating spaces that she gained the rigour and freedom to author some stunning homes around the globe. The yachting world’s loss is our gain! Since the launch of her eponymous studio in 2011, Marion Stora has left her signature on some remarkable properties, including Victorian homes in London, contemporary villas in Portugal, an art collector’s home in Northern Europe, and, most notably, her own Parisian apartment overlooking the Eiffel Tower. Nestled in a storied 19th-century building, Marion’s home is decorated with furniture pieces that have become part of her debut collection, fittingly named “Opening Acts,” now available exclusively on Invisible Collection.
The sixteen-piece offering epitomizes Marion’s distinctive signature style: rigorous and restrained, yet warm, colorful, and lively. One can detect a subtle affinity with key tenets of Modernism, from her taste for natural materials—hand-woven fabrics and wood—to her clean, harmonious lines. There is also a touch of Brazilidade in the way she adds curves and undulations to her vocabulary and merges contrasting textures. But it’s in Pierre Chapo that Marion Stora, a lifelong sailor, has found her design hero. The French designer, born in the late 1920s, was deeply influenced by the work of a shipwright, who inspired him to combine furniture design with the traditional skills required to build sailboats and other marine vessels. Chapo’s approach informs Marion Stora in her quest to work with the best artisans, specifically fine cabinetmakers, and artists.
This approach is best exemplified in the La Mona Table, an impressive yet warm design. Inspired by the organic image of two tree trunks piercing through a tabletop, Marion Stora makes a powerful aesthetic statement in collaboration with Pierre Bonnefille and Mauro Mori, two talents who draw from nature to lend this table its one-of-a-kind character. La Mona Table blends Mori’s sculptural Albizia wood base with Bonnefille‘s unique tabletop, featuring a special coating made of mineral and metallic powders and natural pigments. Opening Acts includes a variety of seating crafted by world-renowned artisans. The Astrea Chair in brushed solid oak was crafted at Laval—furniture makers since 1892. The whimsical Soulful Armchair, defined by hand-gouged wooden armrests that extend into sculpted animal feet, is the work of Charles Jouffre, the famed upholsterer based in Lyon. The seat is dressed in custom hand-woven fabric by Toyine Sellers.
Marion Stora’s fascination with wood, its natural warmth and versatility, permeates the entire collection. Solid walnut, olive-ash, and brushed oak are carved and gouged, plied and bent to transform into inviting shapes. From the beds with undulating frames to sophisticated cabinets and bookshelves, we are shown the endless possibilities and magnetic power of natural wood, its timeless beauty when presented in a contemporary setting. For Opening Acts, Marion Stora also sought the help of a very special (and very young) artist to create the Abysses Rug: “I wanted to transcribe the beauty and mystery of the ocean’s depths. After several sketches, I found a drawing by my son, a child’s drawing on a white background. The line was irregular, fragile, and gave the impression of vibration. This is what had been missing in my own sketches… Lines like irregular filaments that illustrate the movement of the sea.”
Marion Stora’s designs are on view at Invisible Collection Paris and available exclusively through us. Book a visit to our gallery to experience them in person.
