A chat with French textile designer Patrick Frey ahead of his talk at Nantucket by Design.

Written by Brian Bushard
Photos Courtesy of Pierre Frey

Patrick Frey, one of the most renowned textile designers in the world, is known to push the envelope. The so-called patriarch of wallpaper and textile giant Pierre Frey, he said he doesn’t follow trends. He anticipates them, often at a risk. He follows his instincts and branches out in a design world where being complacent is often considered safe. Frey will visit Nantucket this July for the Nantucket Historical Association’s annual event, Nantucket by Design, where he will participate in a luncheon on the “transportive power of textiles.”

At any point in your career, were you able to break off from more traditional design?

We are very eclectic and I love to do both traditional and contemporary designs. I love to look backward and forward. In fact, to look forward you have to look backward.

On the other hand, how do you stay true to tradition when designing in the modern world?

The idea for tradition is not to copy the past, or to do what has already been done. It’s to keep a certain influence and inspiration from the past and update it for today. Often it’s a  simplification. If it was woven as a silk damask, perhaps we would reinterpret it as a print. If the motif was small, perhaps we would make it big. We play with a design to keep the beauty of the design but give it a different dimension that’s new. We have a Scandinavian collection, really a mix of the past and future. Use classic culture, itis very modern. To implement, when we work on the past I always try to implement the past while modernizing.

Tell us about the revitalization project you undertook in 2017on Villers-Cotterets.

To this point we were primarily producing fabrics and wallpapers and I was always frustrated because they were never on my own furniture. Now we have the ability to create our own furniture, and now the creation is complete. It was a kind of global concept. That’s why for years I was looking to add to our collection a furniture manufacturer.

How do you find pieces to add to your collection?

Creation is never finished. A new one replaces an old one. As long as we are creative, the story goes on and on. Our collections have themes or inspirations and we channel that essence with our choices for what to add. We are passionate about the designs.

What design elements do you consider when working with a coastal space?

When you are in a coastal area, you reference the water, the sun, bathing suits, swimming pools and the outdoors, so it has to be practical. The spirit is chic but simple, not too fancy. Often it is a question of fibers and colors, even more than design. Typically when you are in a coastal home you are on vacation, or you’re there to relax. It is the same in coastal towns all over the world.

As it relates to textiles, how can pieces from the past be reimagined in modern spaces?

We are not decorators, we are creating fabric and wallpapers. We leave it to designers to decide how they want to use it. I never do a design specifically fora use. Like with dining, is a wine good for fish or meat? The one to decide is the chef. The wine maker makes the wine and the chef decides on the pairing.

What new trends in design most excite you?

Rather than follow trends, I aim to anticipate what is coming. Our collections all have a common theme, and if you asked me why it was chosen I would have difficulty explaining it. It’s a certain flair, something in the air, that I follow. Creativity is always a risk. We take risks all the time. You can be right or you can be wrong. For me, I follow my instincts.

Have you ever been to Nantucket?

I was on Nantucket for two weeks with my wife and our five kids. We rented the most charming house. The kids were quite young, and they loved it. I always intended to come back but the world is big and there are so many places to explore, especially in the U.S., where we have visited many different places but unfortunately it has taken me this long to get back to Nantucket.