The Grand Hotels of Paris: Prestigious Commissions for Rinck

Rinck is a family business that saw five generations of men bearing the same name pass through its ranks. Over the years, each accumulated a countless number of documents that now form a tangible legacy of rare cultural depth and breadth. Drawn-to-scale furniture sketches, order forms, sketchbooks,  sales sheets, written correspondence, and even daily planners. A documentary gold mine which, when the company merged with Ateliers Thierry Goux in the early 2000s, was sleeping peacefully in the basement of the original Paris location on Passage de la Bonne Graine. As the group seeks to restore this setting to its former glory, these records have now emerged from their cave to not only tell the story of a glittering heritage, but to serve as ceaseless sources of inspiration.

Thanks to painstaking work by Rinck’s documentalist-archivist, who labored endlessly to categorize, list, inventory, organize, and digitize every last page, the company is now able to share images from another time. The one chosen here illustrates a portion of Rinck’s prolific work for the grandest Paris hotels.

Coffee table, reception desk, bottle cabinet, armchair, dressing table, bar stool, lounge and function-room furniture, lady’s desk, wardrobe – a vast variety of furnishings came straight from the Rinck workshops to find their natural habitats in major Parisian hotels. From 1930 on, the commissions and orders were numerous and varied.

Decade after decade, they continued to bring Rinck great renown and the workshops’ savoir-faire was – and remains – such that all styles are possible. Belle Epoque, Empire, Louis XIV, Louis XV, Louis XVI: The identical reproduction of period furniture or artistic interpretations thereof is a choice that remains with the client, guided in their vision by the keen eye of the decorator and his or her practice of fine cabinetmaking. The orders placed with the company thereby harmoniously dovetail with the existing décor in the spaces in which Rinck is asked to provide its expertise.

The collaboration between Rinck and the Baverez group, owner of three renowned hotels – the Régina Louvre, the Raphaël, and the Majestic – most likely began with personal orders from Madame Baverez, the owner of the hotel, traces of which can be found in Rinck’s archives starting in the 1930s. It seems she first placed an order for a lady’s desk with a Louis XVI leaf crafted in mosaic. From then on, sketchbooks show drawings of hotel rooms bearing the name “Régina.” Millwork, joinery, custom furniture design and manufacture, and even restoration – by leafing through these pages, most with dates, it is clear that the collaboration between these two family businesses was strong and longstanding.

Rinck’s work not only preserved the hotel’s rich heritage by restoring pieces of furniture – such as Louis XVI pedestal tables with marble that needed replacing and legs that required gluing, along with Louis XIV chairs to be restored –, the company was also able to help the hotel improve its aesthetic appeal and comfort by manufacturing custom furnishings for the property’s rooms and common areas while respecting its Belle Epoque style to preserve the artistic harmony. The company’s involvement thereby made it possible to further enhance an exceptional guest experience.

This joining of forces is a remarkable example of the synergy that can exist between two prestigious entities, each recognized for excellence in its respective field. It is the perfect illustration of how artisanal expertise and attention to detail can contribute to the splendor and elegance of a historic hotel, further reinforcing the property’s reputation as an iconic luxury establishment in Paris. It also made it possible to preserve the heritage and history of a building, while adapting the establishment to meet the expectations of contemporary travelers.

“Mr. Rinck has a collection of bronzes unlike any others in the world, which he proudly shows us. Because working with bronze is another aspect of fine cabinetmaking: the models are made from a carved-wood original, then one  must cast, chase, adjust to each piece of furniture, and gild with nitrate. A dedicated room holds carefully categorized moldings, scraps, sabots, wreaths, aprons, even key rings in period styles.”

Excerpt from the article “This 19th-Century Manager Belongs to the 20th Century” in the May 25, 1967, issue of the newspaper L’Entreprise, reporting on Maurice Rinck and his company

Some of the works created for the hotel industry have been inspired by furniture models found in museums. By virtue of the company’s savoir-faire and impressive collection of bronze chefs-modèles, the artisans are able to identically reproduce period furniture or draw inspiration from it, as the commission requires. This was the intention, for example, for a display cabinet made in 1953 for the Hôtel George V. The inspiration was a piece of furniture inside the Hôtel Beauharnais, a listed historic monument that has since become the German Embassy.

After the 1970s, the archives have little trace of Rinck’s collaboration with hotels. In the early 2000s, however, when Thierry Goux took the reins of the company, he revived such partnerships in France and the United States. Rinck’s reputation as an exceptional manufacturer has long been established in the eyes of major decorators and designers who choose to work with the company. Whether it involves millwork, joinery, boiserie, or furniture, Rinck executes designs by Philippe Starck for hotels in Paris such as Le Meurice, Mama Shelter, and Le Royal Monceau and, in New York, L’Avenue at Saks, among others. The company also works with Patrick Jouin for the bar at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée and Pierre-Yves Rochon and Anne Midavaine for the George V.

With such exceptional experiences to its name, and to reconnect with its past as a creator-designer, Rinck is now opening a brand-new Design Office wholly devoted to the hotel industry, with technical resources making it possible to take full advantage of all there is to be learned from several decades of exquisite luxury projects, serving the specific and exacting needs of the hospitality industry.