Yannick and Fanny Gicquel started their career working on private projects, catering to a clientele of chalet owners and delivering cosy, winter-inspired interiors. However, their hearts were secretly set on something less chalet-chic and more seventies fun. The design duo, and a couple in real life, moved to London in 2015, to take in all the eccentric, bold and vibrant inspirations that the city has to offer. It’s easy to guess what happened next: in less than ten years Fanny and Yannick have taken the world of interior design by storm with Popus, the brand that screams vibrant colours and joie de vivre.
Let’s push the rewind button on their arrival in London: Like eager students embarking on a full immersion programme to improve their English, the couple deep dived into British culture looking for that distinctive, yet hardly describable imaginary that defines the sixties and seventies aesthetic. It was an inspiring journey into contrasting colour palettes, fantastic patterns and textured fabrics that led them to create a cheerfully alluring furniture collection like no other. And affordable too!
Popus – not surprisingly, the name has Pop in it – draws from all the seventies’ tropes, including simple geometric shapes, bold colour-blocks, improbable patterns that are not supposed to mix, yet they match, and playful accessories. Each design is carefully crafted for extra-comfort; indeed, form follows function, and yet it’s the playful, almost childish shapes, enlivened by vibrant colours that truly capture our attention. From candy-like accent chairs to cartoonish armchairs – the Rima, inspired by Barbapapa – lacquered coffee-tables that evoke precious pearls, and plump poufs dressed in fabrics featuring the most eclectic patterns, these whimsical designs add a playful, dynamic element to any decor.
Discover the full collection: it’s fun, it’s pop, it’s Popus!
