Nereus Chair File in the Workshops of Maison Hurel

Journal

When Embroidery Elevates Material

In the shadows of the Parisian workshops, threads are stretched, intertwined, and made to capture the light. Since 1873, Maison Hurel has perpetuated the delicate art of haute couture embroidery. Its creations, meticulously handcrafted, require hundreds of hours of work and an exceptional level of precision. Every bead, every tube, every sequin — sometimes almost invisible in size — becomes a fragment of textile history.

The house’s DNA? Fineness. A distinctive signature in a world often dominated by opulence and baroque aesthetics.

It is this pursuit of finesse and excellence that brought Rinck and Hurel together. Two houses labeled Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant, united by the same ambition: to push the boundaries of contemporary creation while drawing on the craftsmanship of the past.

“I’ve always thought it would be fascinating to bring our savoir-faire into the realms of decoration and furniture, to confront it with different constraints and materials. With Rinck, everything becomes possible: nothing is compartmentalized — passion and creation are at the heart of it all.”
— Martin Hurel, President and Artistic Director of Maison Hurel

Interior doors of the backgammon set with gold bullion threads and embroidery

Exterior doors of the backgammon set in Madrona burl

From this collaboration came exceptional pieces. The backgammon set designed by Rinck opens like a precious case: Madrona burl, geometric marquetry in lemonwood and blue-stained sycamore, bronze buttons, and gold needle embroidery inspired by the wood’s natural veins. Each token is a unique miniature, blending technical precision with the poetry of craftsmanship.

Gold embroidery in progress for the backgammon tokens

Detail of the backgammon set

Loom in the workshops of Maison Hurel

Detail of the making of the Nereus chair backs

For the Nereus chairs, the Hurel workshops ventured into new creative territories: embossed velvet, metallic bullion threads, raised embroideries… Technical constraints became sources of inspiration, and irregularities transformed into aesthetic assets.

“Embroidering for furniture means restoring ornamentation to its place within the decorative arts. Historically, castle hangings were embroidered. Today, we are reconnecting with that tradition — but with the contemporary boldness of haute couture.”
— Martin Hurel

Through these collaborations, Rinck and Hurel open a new chapter — one of dialogue between wood, textile, metal, and light. Nereus stands as one of its most accomplished expressions: a capsule where embroidery becomes movement, texture, and radiance. Here, savoir-faire does more than simply meet — it invents a shared language.

Journal

Meet our friends

The Art of stained glass

Nolwenn de Kergommeaux, an exceptional master glassmaker, preserves an ancestral craft in her workshop, Au Passeur de Lumière.

Journal

Meet our friends

Exploring the Watercolor World of Morgane Guerry

Enter the world of illustrator and watercolorist Morgane Guerry, through her two collaborations with Rinck. From painting a ceiling to creating an original folding screen, Morgane reveals an artistic process where limits are often made to be pushed, questioned and finally transcended.

Journal

Heritage

A History of Ornament

Ornament was a divisive subject in the 20th century, rejected by the modern movement as a sign of decadence, while considered by traditionalists to be a lingua franca uniting the realms of architecture and decoration. This debate has since been pushed aside by architectural post-modernism and contemporary – and deliberately eclectic – interior decoration. Let us look back upon a notion that is as old as humanity itself.

Journal

Design by Rinck

A detailed look at the Hébé collection

The Hébé collection, created by Rinck over the course of 2020, was unveiled in January 2021. It is a feminine vision of the smoking room, rife with symbolism of the goddess of eternal youth, cupbearer to the gods and goddesses. Could it suggest a longing to make merry, to escape these morose times in which we find ourselves ? Indeed.