Scholarship Winner Spotlight
We congratulate and proudly recognize Calvin Ma, Mackenzie Farquhar, Shelley Grice, and Nazanin Rajaee, for their winning designs and participation in the 1st Annual Rocky LaFleur Scholarship Fund Student Competition. We asked our winners to tell us about their experience designing a Parisian apartment for Rocky. Read their insights and view their full design submissions below!
Tell us what most inspired you and drove your vision.
I am so grateful to have been selected as one of the winners of this competition! It was a challenging and enriching opportunity that pushed my creative capabilities.
When designing, I usually draw inspiration from site context alongside the client brief. As the apartment overlooks the Louvre, I wanted to portray a similar geometric theme as I.M. Pei's addition within the 6th floor. Rocky's love for entertaining also inspired this space, prompting connected conversation arrangements and an intimate atmosphere. His spiritual inclination guided the 8th floor design, directing toward an airy and even slightly ascetic approach.
Which part of the competition did you find most challenging, and which part was your favorite?
More than anything, I loved this apartment that was entrusted to us. The architectural bones and existing spaces were already so beautifully and intentionally designed, so I was afraid that adding anything to it may take away from its grace. I truly hope my design honors its original beauty and frames the wonderful view outside.
Each floor had its own challenging aspects. The blank slate of the capacious 6th floor was daunting; to establish a reasonable furniture arrangement that felt neither too minuscule nor overcrowded took a while. However, curating furniture finishes, and styles that harmonize with each other definitely required the most trial and error.
The complex layout of the 8th floor tested my design process; it was also much more spacious than the plans had suggested. Generating a sensible layout rather than placing furniture to fill in the space was the ultimate challenge of this floor.
Was there a product or supplier you incorporated in your design that stands above the rest to you, and if so, why?
I particularly admired Galerie May's sculptural pieces. Each and every item is like a unique work of art, with organic and bold forms. For fabrics, it's difficult to choose. I was drawn to Dedar, Nobilis, and Zak+Fox for their contemporary and luxurious selections, but that can be said about all Kneedler Fauchère's textile suppliers!
Will we see you in Paris 2023, or have you decided to use your prize money to further your education?
Already booked my Airbnb!
Tell us what most inspired you and drove your vision.
I started this competition with the goal of understanding who Rocky was and how that might translate into his design profile. Rocky was an amazing host with a big heart, who loved nothing more than sharing his experiences with kindred souls. He was an avid traveler, advocate and mentor and a fixture of the Los Angeles design community. I wanted to make sure his space was welcoming and inviting for all his potential guests and that it reflected his west coast roots with his love of Europe, especially Paris.
Which part of the competition did you find most challenging, and which part was your favorite?
Being from Canada and beginning my studies at UCLA after Rocky’s passing, I never had the opportunity to meet Rocky myself. This was a challenging element in trying to build out a design profile that would suit his personal style. However, through research and stories shared through my UCLA professors, I was able to get a deeper understanding of where his passions lie and what his style was.
My favorite part of this design competition was drafting the design with a focus on integrating the artists and studios that are available through Kneedler Fauchère. This was a welcome challenge, which was quite easy due to the high caliber of artists and vendors to choose from.
Was there a product or supplier you incorporated in your design that stands above the rest to you, and if so, why?
There were lots of great designers to showcase that fit the design style of this challenge. For this project, I incorporated lighting fixtures from Porta Romana. The made-to-order pieces designed out of their London studio incorporate the European flair I was looking for. The pieces I chose, including the Scallop Shell Wall Light and Allegra Bulkhead, had a California beach theme that I wanted heavily integrated into the bathroom design. Both pieces have diffused light which created a calming ambiance in the small space.
Will we see you in Paris 2023, or have you decided to use your prize money to further your education?
I will be using the prize money to further my education at UCLA.
Tell us what most inspired you and drove your vision.
Although I never had the pleasure of meeting Rocky, it was an incredible privilege to get a window into his life through this competition. Learning about his passion for Paris Déco Off, as well as his love for hosting, was what initially drove my vision for the space. As I started to think about the Art Deco style and how I wanted to incorporate it in the design of Rocky’s apartment, I found my mind pulling inspiration from contemporary art and films. The set design of Wes Anderson’s films the Grand Budapest Hotel, Life Aquatic and Moonrise Kingdom were flipping through my mind as I was looking through the websites of Kneedler Fauchère’s various suppliers. I was also inspired by the artwork of contemporary artist Nicholas Party. I ended up selecting a still image from Wes Anderson’s film Moonrise Kingdom and used it as the focal point of my mood board. This drove my design decisions all the way through to completion.
Which part of the competition did you find most challenging, and which part was your favorite?
The most challenging part of the competition was deciding how I wanted to use the space. Although we were only responsible for the 6th and 8th floors, I wanted to make sure I was studying the space as a whole and visualizing how the different floors relate to each other when making my design decisions. I also focused on accentuating the existing architecture. The parts of the apartment I found really exciting were both the small and large courtyards and the eighth-floor balcony that overlooks the Louvre. I focused on making these areas come to life, however deciding how to accentuate the small courtyard was my biggest challenge. When opening up the sixth-floor interior space to the large courtyard, I chose to make two three-foot archways instead of one large opening to enhance the symmetry of this wall. On either side of the two small archways, I created two larger archways. The large arch on the right side of the wall has a custom two-story window that creates a view into the small courtyard from the main interior space. What started off as my biggest challenge ended up being one of my favorite aspects of my design.
Was there a product or supplier you incorporated in your design that stands above the rest to you, and if so, why?
The supplier that really stood out to me was Delisle. Delisle has some of the most exciting chandeliers and sconces, and the craftsmanship put into these fixtures is remarkable. The chandelier that immediately caught my eye was a blue iron and porcelain chandelier shaped like vine leaves with small white flowers. This specific chandelier is so beautiful and unique, I would love to put a similar piece in my own home one day.
Will we see you in Paris 2023, or have you decided to use your prize money to further your education?
I will be attending Paris Déco Off, and I couldn’t be more excited. I am looking forward to attending various events and learning about all the new interior collections for the year. I am also looking forward to popping into some of my favorite galleries to check out their current exhibitions. I am excited to meet new people in the interior design industry, learn from their experience, and see all the beautiful interior design Paris has to offer.
Tell us what most inspired you and drove your vision.
Thank you for this great opportunity provided by Kneedler Fauchère. At first glance, a competition of designing an apartment in Paris plus the prize of a trip to Paris has enough potential to simply attract anyone. So, I have to say that was a great idea. Unfortunately, I wasn’t lucky enough to meet Rocky, but before I started to design, I talked to several people who knew him and worked with him. I read about him, saw his pictures, read his posts on Instagram, and tried to find out his interests, favorite colors, and passions to guide me. And after knowing enough about him, I reviewed the apartment’s pictures and saw the Louvre from the large frame of the windows and that showed me the direction of my design.
Which part of the competition did you find most challenging, and which part was your favorite?
The most challenging part was designing the place and providing the atmosphere to be multifunctional, a place for an American executive to chill with friends and a place to promote designers and introduce students and fresh artists to market. My favorite part was choosing the modern furniture for the Parisian apartment and synchronizing the inside of the apartment with the view which played a big role in my design. Mixing styles was so challenging and at the same time the most attractive part of this competition.
Was there a product or supplier you incorporated in your design that stands above the rest to you, and if so, why?
Yes, Galerie May was the supplier I used most in my design. The reason is, in Paris, most of the buildings and elements are so sculptural and monumental and they make Paris an open museum. I think Galerie May’s furniture also looks so sculptural and that helped me to connect the inside and outside.
Will we see you in Paris 2023, or have you decided to use your prize money to further your education?
For sure I am coming to Paris, I wouldn’t miss the opportunity.
