Coinciding with Maison & Objet and Paris Design Week, the second chapter of our exhibition Period Rooms of the Future is now on view at Féau Boiseries. Much like the first part unveiled during Art Basel Paris, exceptional décors created at the height of Art Deco will serve as backdrops for a curation of ultra-contemporary designs. Each room is a fascinating reminder of the cultural continuity between the 1920s and today’s collectible design — something Invisible Collection has championed since its inception. This new display offers a fresh perspective on the foundations that continue to shape our contemporary sensibility, and on the ideal of beau: the exquisite and the beautiful.
Carefully handpicked from Féau’s archives and private collection, each décor is a true gem — rarely, if ever, shown — specially commissioned by notable tastemakers and aesthetes during the short yet intense Art Deco period. Like a walk through history, visitors wander amidst displays unfolding like vignettes of Parisian lifestyle: the stunning fumoir designed by Maurice Dufrêne for the home of David David-Weill — a feat of ebony, mother-of-pearl, and gilded bronze; the entire boiserie of the office of oil barons the Nahmias brothers, conceived by Emilio Terry; the delicately hand-chiseled wood panels for Jeanne Lanvin’s dining room; the majestic cabinets and bookcases in rosewood and gilded bronze created by Ruhlmann for the home of L’Oréal’s founder, Eugène Schueller; and the humble yet striking 17th-century blond wood panels that Jean-Michel Frank repurposed for the dining room of the Guerlain family. Together, they tell a story of life in Paris, offering a more intimate view into these remarkable homes.
Period Rooms of the Future does not look back, however; the settings are reimagined with ultra-contemporary designs and objects that conjure a new idea of modern living and the unmistakable aesthetic championed by Invisible Collection. A mise en scène of subtle connections unfolds between 1920s décors and 2020s furniture, including new pieces by OUD and Sarah Chirazi, as well as a special focus on creations from les Maisons d’art de la mode et de la décoration, the specialty creators from le 19M. As visitors wander through the labyrinthine space, they encounter carefully conceived tableaux. In one room, Studio MTX’s architectural panels of woven multicolored ribbons float freely from the ceiling, suspended next to the wooden panels designed by Rateau for Jeanne Lanvin. In the fumoir, Goossens’ Nenuphar folding screen — featuring waterlily-like elements in hand-hammered gilded metal — stands as proof that the aesthetic grammar of past eras can be seamlessly incorporated into today’s language. In the adjacent room, a glazed bookcase designed by Roux-Spitz showcases an eclectic display of objects created by Goossens, including pieces commissioned by Coco Chanel herself. Lesage Intérieurs presents an original embroidery at the intersection of tapestry and decorative paneling, displayed in the Jean-Michel Frank room.
As for the furniture, the curation is a subtle mix of new designs revealing the many facets of contemporary creation seen through the prism of Invisible Collection. The ultra-sophistication of OUD channels the imaginary of Art Deco at its height through rare materials, rich textures, and timeless shapes. Among the highlights, a stunning desk conjuring the exotic imaginary of a trip to ancient Egypt. A contrasting mood enlivens the work of Sarah Chirazi, with her almost cheeky take on familiar objects and African inspirations. Designs from her Veggie collection dot the space as a fresh addition to the storied décor. In the grand Ruhlmann salon, the ultra-plush Teddy bed by Charles Zana — a unique design featuring a headboard entirely embroidered by Lesage Intérieurs — reigns supreme. The exhibition also includes new designs from Mobilier national’s Campagne d’acquisition — pieces selected for integration into its permanent collection — reaffirming the longstanding and unprecedented collaboration between the French institution and Invisible Collection. Objets d’art specially handpicked by L’Œil de KO punctuate the space, enhancing the atmosphere of a private home.
“In 2026, Invisible Collection celebrates its tenth anniversary,” says our cofounder Isabelle Dubern-Mallevays. “We chose to open this symbolic year alongside those who share our founding principles: a reverence for the long view, an uncompromising devotion to detail, a pursuit of excellence, a deep-rooted cultural sensibility, and an aesthetic that is unmistakably French. These collaborations are essential, anchored in the history of French decorative arts: the enduring continuity of institutions and manufactures embodied by the Mobilier national; the preservation of artisanal savoir-faire embodied by houses such as Féau Boiseries; and the creative vitality of luxury maisons, expressed through le 19M, Chanel’s hub for the métiers d’art and fashion. United by a shared commitment to transmission and creation, this community of values is what lends our approach its singular voice.”
Unique in its genre and content, Period Rooms of the Future, Part II celebrates the indissoluble bond between savoir-faire and design — the vision of the masters from the past embraced and reimagined in a new language by today’s talents who, like their predecessors, work for the next era. Past, present, and future — never more aligned.
