Established in 2011, the Design Fund sponsors new contemporary design acquisitions for London's Victoria and Albert Museum. Every year founder Yana Peel and chair Francis Sultana, along with London Design Festival director Ben Evans, gather their roster of patrons and friends to present the new acquisitions and encourage donations for the year ahead.
Celia Collection Launches In London
Francis welcomed guests including Dame Zaha Hadid and fellow designers Roland Mouret, Lara Bohinc and Charlotte Dellal to David Gill Galleries over two nights to celebrate the launch of his new furniture collection Celia.
Celia was inspired by the palm-fringed beaches of the Balearics, with Francis's use of palm wood and loose weave linens. Further Spanish influences such as Goya and Velasquez can be seen in Francis's use of ox blood red and dark green leathers. As always, Francis has employed signature bronze detailing across the collection.
Following the Private View at David Gill Galleries, Mark's Club hosted a wonderful dinner and guests were delighted with their gift from Francis of a bronze dish from the collection.
Munira Collection for Marc de Berny
This September, Marc de Berny is launching two new collections: La Sparkks designed by Jean-Louis Deniot, & La Munira designed by Francis Sultana. These two collections celebrate the renaissance of the De Berny name, once a renowned furniture house at Chateau de Berny in the 19th century, which now as its own brand takes the stage in 2013 as Marc de Berny.
With projects ranging from bespoke pieces for private residences to palaces, Marc de Berny has been creating sophisticated and star pieces for interiors and hotels around the world. Imagined in London and in Paris in combinations of materials and finishes, these new creations respond to the creative and luminous vision of the designers and are made by the talented artisans using techniques going back centuries as well as new processes to give the contemporary styling.
'La Munira’ collection consists of cabinetry, tables, upholstery, & lighting – as in Francis Sultana’s past collections where bronze features prominently, the designer has crafted a new texture which comes up in all of the pieces. Cabinetry covered in parchment but not in the classical sense; to give a contemporary edge to the parchment it is in a high gloss, that paired with the chiselled wood and bronze gives these pieces Francis Sultana’s signature tailored styling.
‘When I thought of a furniture house in the true French style, my inspiration should be that of the late 40s and 50s Paris style, even with a hint of the ‘style Afrique’ as they called it in Paris. With the upholstered pieces for the presentation I have mixed classical linen with hand woven African-inspired patterns.’
Francis Sultana interview with La Maison France 5
Francis interviewed by Stéphane Thebaut for France 5
AD Intérieurs, Paris – Voyages Imaginaires
Francis Sultana was invited to take part in the exhibition AD interieurs by the editor in chief of AD France Marie Kalt in September of 2012.
The exhibition was staged at Art Curial on the Avenue Montaigne and Francis Sultana was one of 14 chosen designers and the first ever selected from the United Kingdom.
Francis Sultana created a room in homage to Marie Laure de Noailles in his vision of ‘des voyages imaginaires’ (this year’s theme) he created a salon of a contemporary Marie Laure, a young society lady living in Paris.
He incorporated design pieces from Mattia Bonetti, Oriel Harwood, Zaha Hadid with art from Gilbert and George & Donald Baechler. Francis Sultana was kindly supported by David Gill Galleries, London for the design pieces and by Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery Paris, for the art.
