Journal

Opus Memoria: A Vision Recognized by the FD100

On the occasion of Art Paris 2026, Rinck has been awarded the FD100 – The French Design 100 Awards, which each year honors projects that contribute to the international influence of French design.

Granted to the Opus Memoria collection, this distinction marks a pivotal moment for the house, at the intersection of contemporary creation, exceptional craftsmanship, and a broader reflection on the role of decorative arts today.

The FD100 recognizes one hundred projects in interior architecture and design that embody innovation, excellence in execution, and the ability of French design to engage in dialogue with the world.

Valentin Goux, President & Artistic Director

Presented in 2025, the Opus Memoria collection is built upon a singular idea:
to imagine the legacy of a fictional artist — a total creator who would have moved across disciplines — sculpture, painting, music — leaving behind a constellation of objects.

As Valentin Goux explains:

“The idea was to imagine the life’s work of a demiurgic artist, who would have accumulated forms, materials, and inspirations over time.”

Each piece thus appears as a fragment of this narrative: an autonomous object, yet connected to the others through a logic of accumulation, memory, and transformation.

“We like to create objects that appear simple, but are in reality highly complex.”

While Opus Memoria carries a strong vision, it is also the result of a deeply collaborative process. At Rinck, creation emerges through constant dialogue between designers, architects, and artisans. Ideas circulate, confront one another, and evolve — until they reach their most precise form.

“We operate in a highly collaborative way, in a constant exchange between design and the workshops.”

This close relationship with craftsmanship allows for the exploration of complex territories: multiplicity of materials, intricate textures, and subtle plays of illusion and deception.

Bertille Goux, Designer and Director of Collections

Detail of the bronze rope motif on the Opus Memoria Cheval Glass

The collection is distinguished by a deliberately rich material vocabulary.

Bronze, glass, leather, fine veneers, ceramics — materials meet, overlap, and at times even deceive themselves. A ceramic becomes a precious stone, a leather evokes a shed skin, an assembly appears spontaneous while in fact resulting from an extremely precise process.

“We like to create objects that appear simple, but are in reality highly complex.”

This interplay between apparent simplicity and technical sophistication lies at the heart of the collection’s language.

Through Opus Memoria, Rinck continues to explore a central question: how to create today while remaining rooted in history. Founded in 1841, the house embraces its heritage — that of classicism, ornament, and the decorative arts — while constantly seeking to reinterpret it.

“We know where we come from, but that does not prevent us from exploring a contemporary language.”

This tension between memory and invention runs throughout the collection.

By recognizing Opus Memoria, the FD100 does more than reward a collection.

It highlights an approach: that of design conceived as a language capable of generating meaning, emotion, and narrative. Supported by a unique ecosystem — designers, artisans, and workshops — French design today is defined by its ability to combine heritage, innovation, and cultural openness.

In this context, Opus Memoria stands as a singular proposition: a collection that goes beyond function to construct an entire world.

This distinction marks an important milestone for Rinck. Yet it also opens new perspectives: to continue exploring, collaborating, crossing disciplines — and imagining forms capable of enduring through time.

The Opus Memoria Collection Awarded at the 2026 FD100 Awards

Extending this recognition, Rinck is honored this year with a double distinction at the FD100.

The Opus Memoria collection is among the projects selected for this fourth edition. At the same time, the Corinthian project — the first vessel in the Orient Express fleet developed for the Accor group, to which Rinck contributed — has also been awarded.

Designed by architect Maxime d’Angeac, this large-scale project highlights another facet of Rinck’s expertise: its ability to integrate its workshops into exceptional projects, where attention to detail, mastery of materials, and the dialogue between disciplines take on a new dimension. It also fully reflects the spirit of the FD100 — one of close collaboration between designers, architects, artisans, and manufacturers, brought together through projects that contribute to the international influence of French design.

Through these two distinctions, a shared vision emerges — that of a house capable of expressing a singular design language, while also bringing to life, on a larger scale, some of the most ambitious projects on the international stage.

Corinthian, designed by Maxime d’Angeac for Accor Orient Express - ©Accor Orient Express

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