MEET THE DESIGNER
Camille Hermand Talks Inspiration, Bespoke Design and Timeless Interiors
Ask architect Camille Hermand what she likes best about her work and she’ll tell you it’s helping people to make a space their own – a reflection of themselves – where they can feel perfectly at home.
Playing with the light and flow of a space are two great constants in her work. With a passion for “human-scale” spaces, Camille loves to renovate the spaces we live in, with a great belief in the power of bespoke pieces.
We caught up with the founder of the agency Camille Hermand Architectures to talk about her vision of interiors, and her relationship with space in each of her projects.
First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself and your background. How did your career in design begin?
My name is Camille Hermand and I have been a DESA architect for the past twenty years, graduate of the Ecole Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris. My architecture agency is based in Paris, where we have a vibrant team of both architects and interior designers, and we work mainly with private individuals.
I’ve always known that I wanted to be an architect. As part of my studies, I did various internships in urban planning, architecture and interior design, and it’s this last one that I enjoyed the most. The internship really reinforced my choice, since what I like most is the human dimension that interior design provides, working with houses and apartments rather than on a “grand scale”.
Could you talk us through your creative process – how do you approach each client and each new project?
What I particularly enjoy about working in this field is that the creative process looks different for every project. Working with individual clients, our approach naturally depends on their needs, the space we’re reinventing, the client’s budget and the scale of the job. At Camille Hermand Architectures, we’re lucky to have clients and projects of all styles, of every age, with differing budgets, which means that we give life to very varied projects.
The Multifaceted Instagram Account of Camille Hermand Architectures.
In fact, it’s this immense variety of styles that clients love about our work. On our Instagram account, for example, our followers love that we share such a range of different styles – from the timeless to the utterly contemporary. Clients tell us they know we won’t impose a predefined “stock” design solution. We enjoy having to adapt along with our clients’ needs at every step of the creative process.
What inspires you? Do you have any particular resources or sources of inspiration you return to time and again?
The sources I like to come back to are all more architect-related than interior architect-based, which I suppose must be down to my training. I particularly like everything to do with Le Corbusier and the Modernist period of architecture, because I learned a huge amount through the work of the architects of that era. As for more contemporary architects, I love the work of Ricardo Bofill. While studying architecture, I didn’t particularly like Bofill’s style because I couldn’t identify with it. These days, however, I must say it really resonates with me.
Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye in Poissy, France is an iconic Modernist Manifesto that applies the Swiss-French architect’s five fundamental principles of a new architecture: reinforced concrete for constructing the pilotis, roof garden, open plan design, horizontal windows and free design of the façade. (Image of Villa Savoye is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0).
Architect Ricardo Bofill’s iconic “La Fábrica”, a repurposed cement factory home to the Bofill family and the late-architect’s Taller de Arquitectura. (Images licensed under CC BY 4.0).
Bofill’s La Muralla Roja, a postmodern apartment complex in Calpe, Valencia, that references and reinterprets the architecture of North African casbahs along the Mediterranean. Bofill is the architect behind many of the most iconic buildings in Valencia, the home of Riluxa.
I also greatly appreciate the work of the English architect John Pawson, even though these sources of inspiration all have very different styles with no obvious overlapping traits.
Do you have a signature style? How would you classify it?
We don’t have a signature style per se, but it’s true that we like to choose quite subtle and timeless elements for our projects. The play of light and the flow of a space are central for us. Once we’ve got those two elements right, everything works. As for the palette, we prefer to keep to rather understated colours in general, which bring a lightness to a design. That’s why we often tend towards white tones, a recurring feature of our designs.
Left: Riluxa products used in the Project Rueil Malmaison: a made-to-measure vanity unit with an Orion Washbasin in Corian® atop a Gaia Classic 4-Drawer Wall-Mounted Cabinet. Right, in Project Neva, a Gaia Freestanding Vanity Unit with a Steel Base.
What would you say are the key trends within the world of bathroom design right now?
For me, fashion is about personalisation and being able to design a meaningful space to meet the needs of the inhabitant in the best possible way. What I like about Riluxa is being able to tailor make the products we need, no matter what size project we’re working on. The ability to order each piece on a bespoke basis is personalisation taken to another level. That, for me, is the ultimate trend!
Riluxa products used in the bathroom of Project Vincennes: a Gliese Wall-Mounted Double Washbasin in Carrara Marble and a Gaia Classic Wall-Mounted 4-Drawer Cabinet.
Tell us about your relationship with Riluxa and why you’ve chosen to use Riluxa pieces in some of your projects. Which products have you used?
We were introduced to Riluxa by our bathroom supplier, and we’ve worked together regularly on various projects since then. What we like especially about your brand is the simplicity of the products and the fact that they’re obviously very high quality.
For our projects, we particularly like to incorporate vanity units and, from time to time, bathtubs.
For us, Riluxa represents quality and savoir-faire. Our customers are always happy with the finished result, which is why we keep coming back - there are just so many options for customisation and materials!
Riluxa products used in Project Neuilly: a Sagitta Wall-Mounted Double Washbasin in Nero Marquina Marble and a Gaia Classic 2-Drawer Wall-Mounted Cabinet.
Best piece of advice for people renovating their bathroom or designing a new bathroom from scratch?
My advice would be, “don’t hesitate to go down the route of tailor-made products”. It’s that kind of detail that wonderfully enhances a project. Imagine a wall-mounted washbasin that extends perfectly from one wall to another, down to the very centimetre. That level of bespoke design changes everything, doesn’t it?
What’s been your career highlight to date and what do you still dream of achieving?
We’re really fortunate because we have a lot of work and a lot of interesting projects. The Covid pandemic pushed people to think about renovating their homes, so there is an abundance of projects out there. That gives us the freedom to do very different things, making this a very exciting period for the studio.
If I had to mention one project in particular, it would probably be the Neva project. This was the renovation of a large Parisian apartment, including the creation of a glorious master suite. We built the suite in what was originally two bedrooms, which allowed us to design the truly private space that was vital for the parents. The bedroom leads to a dressing room, which in turn communicates with the bathroom. By turning again, one enters a second dressing room, through which one returns to the bedroom. Everyone thus has the comfort to come and go without waking the other.
Since you walk through the bathroom, it was vital that the bathroom be a beautiful space. It’s not merely a place for washing; it’s actually an extension of the suite. That’s why we opted for the same colour scheme employed throughout the rest of the home, with off-white tones contrasting nicely with darker elements, such as black.
Riluxa products used in this stunning bathroom of Project Neva: a Nantes Freestanding Bathtub in Solid Surface.
Are you currently reading any interesting books you’d recommend?
There are many books I enjoy rereading and referring to very often! I’m not thinking of very recent books but rather classics that always help me get back to the fundamentals. For example, I greatly appreciate the work of Terence Conran (the founder of the Design Museum in London). Right now, I’m also reading Toit et Moi by the design journalist Billie Blanket. It’s a book full of decorating tips that really speaks to me!
Make sure to check out @camillearchitectures on Instagram and explore the agency’s unique portfolio in greater detail on https://camillearchitectures.com/fr.
Photos shared courtesy of photographer Agathe Tissier
If you would like your bathroom project to be featured on Riluxa's Client Projects Showcase, tag #riluxa @riluxa on Instagram or upload your images directly by clicking here. We love nothing more than seeing how our customers have used Riluxa products to create their dream bathrooms!