The Poetic Balance of GILLES & BOISSIER: Parisian Elegance Reimagined for the World
From Pietro Ruffini's Milanese apartment to the Baccarat Hotel in New York and The Lana in Dubai, Gilles & Boissier create interiors that are both poetic and precise, uniting French savoir-faire with global modernity.
Patrick Gilles and Dorothée Boissier founded their studio in Paris in 2004, after formative years alongside leading figures in contemporary design. He worked with Christian Liaigre and she with Philippe Starck. Together, they built an agency quickly recognized for interiors that balance discipline and sensuality, geometry and lyricism. Their style is not a formula but a dialogue that transforms each project into a unique narrative.
The long-standing relationship with Remo Ruffini, CEO of Moncler, grew into a familial bond. Gilles & Boissier envisioned the brand’s boutiques around the world and later Ruffini’s private residences. This trust extended to his children.
Whether in Paris, New York, or Dubai, their interiors remind us that architecture can be both shelter and narrative.
Poesia vivida em que cada material tem linhagem e cada espaço guarda memória
Pietro’s apartment in Milan, featured in Elle Decor, reveals a refined blend of contemporary art and custom-made furnishings. Meanwhile, photos shared of Romeo’s home showcase striking contrasts and attention to detail, reflecting how the studio adapts atmospheres to different personalities.
The Baccarat Hotel in New York, inaugurated in 2015, marked a milestone in the duo’s trajectory. Developed by Starwood Capital, with the tower designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and interiors by Gilles & Boissier, the project translated the heritage of the traditional crystal house into an icon of contemporary hospitality. Pleated silk walls, champagne-toned palettes, and custom-made furniture coexist with Baccarat chandeliers and ruby accents. The bar, in dramatic scale, references both American long bars and the salons of private French hotels, with natural wood finishes and vaulted ceilings.
The building, conceived by SOM, was described as “a polished crystal piece,” an architectural echo of the brand’s essence. If the Baccarat brought French heritage to the New York stage, The Lana in Dubai initiated a new dialogue. The first Dorchester Collection hotel in the Middle East, with architecture by Foster + Partners and interiors by Gilles & Boissier, the project required cultural sensitivity and sophistication. Opened in 2024, The Lana features 225 rooms, custom studio furnishings, selected works of art, and the region’s first Dior Spa. The design here does not seek pastiche but resonance, a Parisian gaze attuned to the Gulf’s light and scale.
What sets Gilles & Boissier apart is their ability to layer global narratives onto meticulous details. In Moncler’s flagship in Paris, the lighting was calibrated to evoke Alpine light, a subtle reference to the brand’s mountainous origins. In residential projects, textures are as important as forms. Burgundy parquet, exclusive millwork in rare veneers, and vintage pieces reinterpreted in contemporary contexts.
Beyond their projects, the duo expanded their vision to their own collections. Since 2021, they have been producing furniture and accessories in close collaboration with artisans. Each piece—tables with visible grain, metals with traditional patinas, lamps woven from natural fibers—expresses the same philosophy as their interiors: modernity guided by heritage. Their monographic book, published by Rizzoli, gathers two decades of projects into a volume that reads less like a portfolio and more like a study in balance.
At a time when luxury risks becoming generic, Gilles & Boissier insist on singularity. Whether in Milan, New York, or Dubai, their interiors remind us that architecture can be both shelter and narrative, a lived poetry in which every material has lineage and every space holds memory.
