Philippe Nigro: Necessary Luxe

The 12 pieces that make up Philippe Nigro’s debut Les Nécessaires collection for Hermès Maison “aren’t meant to be the protagonists in an interior,” as the up-and-coming French designer puts it. Instead, they’re intended to fill in the blanks between the sofas and tables that stars like Jean-Michel Frank, Enzo Mari, and Antonio Citterio have already created for the French house. “They’re small objects with small functions that are very discreet,” says Nigro, pointing to a leather ottoman and a simple-looking walnut bench shaped like a pommel horse. And yet, thanks to Nigro’s sense of inventiveness, nothing is as easy to overlook as he would have you believe: The ottoman, the bench, and a side table all have hidden storage compartments; a room divider outfitted with Hermès textiles features a quirky asymmetrical frame; and a multitiered valet is more than just a thing on which to hang a suit. But then, as Nigro—who was inspired to create the collection after spending time in the company’s century-old archive—says, “There’s always something clever about an Hermès object.”