FELIX MILLORY

RIZE
Aug 8
6 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

Made In France

At just 38 years of age, Parisian architect Félix Millory has already left his mark on the industry and is now considered one of the most promising young architects of his generation. Frenchman Millory is a perfectionist fascinated by the idea of absolute simplicity. He brings to light a lost heritage and reveals the beauty of raw materials that give identity, history and meaning to spaces.

In his agency in Paris, where Millory leaves nothing to chance, projects are characterized by meticulousness, rigor and perseverance. With his simplicity taken to the extreme, he sublimates materials and gives spaces an identity, a history and an obvious meaning. His work is used by both business and private clients, among whom actress and model Vanessa Paradis, the brands Armani, L’Eclaireur, Hardware Club, Harrods and the french multimedia company FNAC, who all have already trusted him.

Félix Millory is a perfectionist and works on his projects with a stylish eye for detail and ensures quality workmanship. For each of his creations, the architect creates a story, comfort and a warm atmosphere around the people who will inhabit the place. His organic conception of space leads him to visualize each project as a series of things that must be readjusted so that everything fits together harmoniously.

His training as an architect gives rise to a passion for raw materials such as wood, concrete or marble. These are core elements that characterize his work, about which he talked to us in this interview...

RIZE: Felix, what sparked your interest in Interior Architecture, and how did you get started in this field?

Felix Millory: First I wanted to study fashion design but my parents encouraged me to pursue another career. I decided to join a school to become a construction engineer but then I realized that I wanted to do architecture, so I changed the course of my studies to become an Architect. This made more sense at the end because as a kid I was constantly disassembling things or toys to be able to understand their functioning and to be able to put them back together. During my studies I was obsessed with creating things. But throughout the first years of my career I quickly understood that it became more about the interior design and the esthetical side of it all. That was the main obsession more than the architectural matter itself. I quicky focused on the beauty of the Parisian style and the love of Parisian buildings and history, knowledge and craftmanship and I became quite obsessed about it very quickly. I was raised in a Haussmannian style house for almost all my life so it felt very natural to me. I also was very fond of the relationship with the private clients and the way of building their project through a lot of work and meetings and by combining their requirements, their desires and still keeping my ideas and my inspirations.

How would you define your signature style, and what elements or themes consistently appear in your work?

I think my style is a fresher, chic and more comfortable Parisian vision of the French way of living. I love old buildings and craftmanship. It became natural that most of our projects are inspired by that love and passion. But it needed a contrast and comfort that goes with a contemporary way of living. Not everything can be an interpretation of Haussmannian style (Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann was the city developer of Paris in the 19th century). I needed to dive into the contemporary with comfort and technical things in mind. My style is a to make the complexity seem effortless. The result can be achieved by managing the layout, the transition of the spaces, all technical aspects, and all the decorative and esthetical bits in a certain manner to make every constraint disappear

Some elements are always coming back to me, such as the work on transitions of spaces, the work on the textures, the work on the moldings or the extensive work on the marble part.

Which architects or designers have influenced your work the most, and how do their styles reflect in your designs?

I think I been always a fan of Joseph Dirand and Pierre Yovanovitch. They have been representing the French “savoir-faire” and french culture. I also like a lot Irakli Zaria for his nearly french way of managing his spaces. His use of textures, glossiness, moody lights and colors is fantastic. During my studies and early working days I was obsessed by japanese traditional architecture, Ryu Nishizawa and Seijima were inspiring. And the writings of Augustin Berque for the definition and psychology of traditional Japanese spaces. They reflect all a part of my personality and the way I see space and I design. We can go from minimalism and brutalism to more high-end Parisian interiors.

Can you describe your process for working with clients to ensure their vision is brought to life while still incorporating your expertise and style?

Lately, I have been very lucky because I have been blessed with clients willing for me to express myself and my personality. I have the ability to manage the inputs of my clients and turn them into a project. This project is always their desire, but through my eyes. We propose a lot of ideas and different versions of the project to the clients. It allows them to choose and always be in a position of choice.

What current trends in Interior Architecture do you find most interesting, and where do you see the future of the field?

I think there are many trends at the moments, I think marble is the obsession right now, especially the Travertine stone, that you can find everywhere. We have been using Travertine for a while now and I feel that today it became a bit quite common for everyone which was not the case when we started working with. Lately it feels a bit more standard but I still like to work with it as I find it very chic and noble, but we need to find special blocks and special slabs to ensure that it still got personality. I think the future is more about exceptional material and stones, as everyone is looking for something different. Nowadays there is also the AI subject. There are many accounts on social media that are only AI driven or AI produced images that are stunning. It is quite disturbing, but even if the images are spectacular and fresh in design, I always think that in the end we are builders. We work the reality, we do not imitate it. So, designing something exceptional means building it and insufflating reality to it at some point.

Can you share a memorable project that you worked on and what made it particularly special or challenging?

All projects are special and challenging in their own ways. Goor or bad. I always took more than I could chew. I have been very audacious and willing to learn and to constantly challenging myself on the spot. So each project at the beginning left a strong mark on me. Every project from the first one to the most recent are very demanding and challenging on the technicality, the knowledge needed, the clients and craftmanship. But one project that is very dear to me is Rue Francois 1er in Paris for a Belgian couple that became very good clients. They trusted me after a meeting of 30 minutes. We are working on their house in Belgium at the moment. Pushing, inventing, creating. This project really changed the course of my career and pushed me to become a better interior designer. At this moment I felt much closer to Interior Design than Architecture. It enabled me to learn more about myself, my esthetic and to trust my instincts and my audacity.

You also design lighting products. How did you start with that?

We were at the Maison & Objet design fair in Paris and I met a bronze maker family company named “Fonderie Macheret” that was exposing some designs and some bronze finishes. There were lots of different designs without real coherence and I think I spoke my mind to the designer - as I always do - but one of their designs was very attractive. Entrelacs was a brand created by the two sons of the bronze making company owner. A few weeks after, we ordered some for a project in Paris that was actually our first project of high end interior design. That was the starting point of a dear friendship and collaboration. I thought that the product was missing something, so I dared to ask them if they would allow me to design something. As a test, I designed my first wall lamp named “Ghost“. They loved the product, and it became the first of many other designs that we made for them. I must say I loved every single step of the experience and I still love these products very much. I wish to design more, but it is just a matter of time. The ideas are there...