Collège de France

For the renovation of one of its historic buildings, the prestigious Collège de France chose Galerie Diurne to create the rugs for its reading rooms. Under the direction of architect Jacques Moussafir, the design studio imagined a décor, which will adapt to the colors of each room. This project is a perfect illustration of Galerie Diurne’s vocation to accompany the major actors in decoration and architecture in their most prestigious projects.

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Contemporary design inspired by history and culture of the decorative arts.

The Institut des Civilisations du Collège de France, designed by architect Jacques Moussafir, is distinguished by a unique approach to the creation of its environment. Rather than developing separate rugs for each zone, Moussafir opted for a universal motif of acanthus flowers.

This pattern, found on rugs, ceilings and gardens, creates a symbolic continuity between the civilizations studied. The choice of colors, combined with the finesse of the composition, identifies each area of the building. Galerie Diurne, captured by this vision, created seven rugs and a staircase, harmoniously integrating the floral motif in different scales and colors, making the rugs the central and distinctive element of the decoration.

Exceptional pieces made in the greatest tradition of rug craftsmanship.

Like all Galerie Diurne rugs, these pieces have been handcrafted in our workshops using traditional techniques. In order to meet the technical requirements of large-scale projects, the hand-tufted technique was chosen. First, the entire pattern was drawn by hand on the cotton canvas, then the craftsmen hand-dyed the wools in wood-fired cauldrons, creating subtle irregularities in color and giving the material the richness and subtlety typical of handmade rugs.

The size of the rugs contributed to their exceptional character. Some had a surface area of over 150 square meters and were over 18 meters long. Despite this, they were all made in a single piece, so that all the motifs fit together perfectly given their abundance and complexity.

A project developed from conception to installation.

The collaboration between Galerie Diurne and the architect encompassed all phases of the project. In addition to the creativity and technical mastery deployed to bring the original idea to fruition, a number of technical challenges emerged. The constraint of underfloor heating necessitated the development of a specific velvet, meeting safety standards while allowing the heating to pass through. Approved tests validated these solutions. The technical team then carried out on-site measurements to guarantee the precision of the sizes and shapes of the exceptionally large and heavy pieces, as well as managing the logistical aspects.

Galerie Diurne, with its unique experience in the production of handmade rugs, took into account production constraints in the creation and execution of the layout. Finally, it supervised the installation of the rugs in close collaboration with a team of experienced craftsmen, ensuring the ultimate success of this exceptional project.

GALERIE DIURNE

GALERIE DIURNE