Step Inside a Magical Boiserie Atelier in Paris

Down an unassuming and quiet street near the Place des Ternes in Paris is a storefront that barely hints at what lies behind its closed doors. Little would one know that at number 9 rue Laugier is a world of its own. To walk into Féau & Cie, known for being the keeper of everything wood paneling, is an experience like no other. The entire workshop is full of fancy, imagination, and pure poetry in the form of carved wood and gilding.

“This place has existed for five generations and was originally built to be the atelier, showroom, and offices. It was constructed to be exactly what it still is today, over 140 years ago,” explains Guillaume Féau, who runs the business in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. “My grandfather Guy purchased the business in 1963 for my father, Joel,” he continues. “I have been running things for the past 25 years.”

With more than 17,000 square feet under a glass roof that’s over 39 feet high, the space is chock-full of treasures. There are full rooms set up with layers of individual bits and pieces, moldings, mantels, and on and on. The space is flooded with light from all angles. “All was done to patinate the boiseries with natural light,” Féau explains. “I grew up in the ateliers, and walking around here was magic. It was gigantic for a small child, and they had old stoves to heat the place with coal.”

For the first time, this atelier, which has been known to architects and designers for decades, will be available for all to see with the publication of the first book about the firm, Féau & Cie: The Art of Wood Paneling: Boiseries from the 17th Century to Today. Rizzoli will launch the lavish title in early November with exclusive images by famed photographer Robert Polidori, who has been photographing the space and the house’s works for years.

With so much history, one wonders how things have evolved over the decades. Féau states proudly that “nothing has changed. The ambiance was always like this.” While all of the brand’s craftsmanship used to take place under this roof, the house has since moved some workshops outside of Paris. “This space is now dedicated to the boiseries and a wonderland for the visitors,” Féau says. “We also added offices next door where we have 12 draftsmen who work closely with decorators.”

With important projects everywhere from New York City to South America and Asia and, of course, Europe, it is clear that Féau has created a very special niche in the world of decoration. Designers including Michael S. Smith, Robert Couturier, and Alexandra and Michael Misczynski, just a few of the many individuals whose projects fill the pages of the Rizzoli tome, continue to turn to the company for intricate, historically accurate wood paneling.

“We have an amazing collection and a huge accumulation of models that don’t exist anywhere else in the world,” Féau says. “We have entire rooms and references from [Émile-Jacques] Ruhlmann to [Claude-Nicholas] Ledoux to Jean-Michel Frank. We don’t really do historical re-creations but what I call modern chic with the classic.” A timeless combination, it would seem.