To watch the company that bears your name warp into a shadow of its' former haute couture glory would be, for many men, unbearable. For Christian Lacroix, however, it provided the impetus to launch into a career costuming ballets and operas across Europe, to act as an artistic advisor to the French mint and to jump into…furniture design. This may not seem like a natural extension for someone as visionary and exuberant as Lacroix, but to Maurizio Leo Placuzzi, president of mosaic manufacturer Sici, he was the obvious choice.
Drawing from Gallo-Roman ruins that were discovered underneath his great-grandparents' house, Byzantine Empress Theodora and the bold, lavish trappings he imagined she would surround herself with, Lacroix's furniture collaboration is a study in bright colors and sumptuous textures with a whimsical hints of lace, studs, braiding and embroidery. The pieces, ranging from capricious wing-back chairs and tables to poufs and fringed ottomans, seem to be meant to mismatch rather than match perfectly, evoking the sense that the pieces were collected over time rather than assembled all at once.
Not for the meek decorator, Lacroix for Sici captures perfectly his flamboyant design aesthetic in pieces that will be sure to add a theatrical pop to any room.