Courtesy of Ludovic Balay
In our latest FRANK conversation we sat down with Paris-based architect Maxime Bousquet whose spaces are infused with a unique touch of nostalgia - crafting interiors that “seem to carry traces of previous times”. Maxime mused on memory, the creative worlds of Jean-Michel Frank and Marc du Plantier, and his Etienne Daho soundtrack.
Courtesy of James Nelson
Is there a particular era or place you wish you could have worked in?
I’d probably choose Paris between the 1920s and the 1940s. I would have loved to see Jean-Michel Frank and Marc du Plantier at work, and experience their world firsthand. I love how they both created extraordinary interiors, and witnessing that creative dialogue between architecture, craftsmanship and the decorative arts would have been such an incredible privilege.
Courtesy of Alexis Armanet
What’s an unusual source of inspiration that has found its way into your work?
I often find inspiration in places that weren’t designed to be specifically beautiful. Accidental moments often stay with me more than a finished and perfectly curated interior.
Courtesy of Clément Vayssières
Share a song that you listen to when feeling creatively challenged?
Not particularly when I’m feeling challenged, but Etienne Daho is a favorite of mine.
Courtesy of Ludovic Balay
What’s the ghost in your work—the thing that lingers but isn’t obvious?
I think it’s probably memory. I’m always trying to create interiors that seem to carry traces of previous times, something familiar that you can’t quite place. It might be a proportion, a material, a patina, or the way objects relate to one another. I like spaces that suggest a story without telling it explicitly.
Courtesy of Alexis Armanet
What’s the question you wish people would ask about your work but never do?
Well, if I answer that I’ll lose the chance to wonder why nobody’s asked it yet.
Courtesy of James Nelson
What is your favourite piece from the Lemon collection, and why?
Definitely the Constant Nightstand in Poplar Burl. I love its clean and minimal line paired with the wood beautiful texture.
