Francis Sultana introduces his sumptuous Narmina collection
Entitled Narmina, Francis Sultana’s latest collection comprises upholstery, furniture, lighting and small accessories and offers a delightful journey through the myriad of influences at work within Francis’s designs, including Art Deco Paris of the 1920s, the work of Coco Chanel and José María Sert and the exotic extravagance of the Indian maharajas.
Striking glamour, sinuous lines and fluid proportions are at work in a series of elegant and sophisticated pieces. The collection, inspired by one of Francis’s most glamorous of muses, Narmina reveals an exotic interpretation of Paris in the 1920s. Narmina retains Sultana’s love of artisan craft techniques and use of noble materials: straw marquetry, rock crystal, Sultana’s signature patinated bronze, bespoke silk and hessian tweeds, rattan, leather and pâte de verre are at play within a collection that is contemporary yet firmly nods to one of the most celebrated eras in interior and furniture design. The colour palette incorporates soft pink, clear and golden crystal, amber, sage and forest green, dark bronze, ecru and straw. Francis Sultana has, within this collection, conjured the ingenuity of the 20th-century fashion icon Coco Chanel who forged her “poverty deluxe” style. As he explains: “’poor materials’ like straw and rattan, conjure the ingenuity of Coco. She was the ultimate 20thcentury fashion icon, who forged her signature by producing luxe sportswear from humble textiles like jersey and cotton.” This theme can be found at play in pieces such as the Theo side table, where Francis has used concealed rattan set within the glass and in the Jordana coffee table and Jacopo buffet where he employs the stunning technique of straw marquetry and in his bespoke tweeds.
Narmina is an impressive and important collection and Francis Sultana has firmly established himself as one of the UK’s foremost furniture designers. The Narmina Collection is his fourth full collection since 2011.
Francis has also launched several capsule collections and his latest, entitled Susan, a collection inspired pieces comprising sofa, ottoman and chair will launch at Francis’s showroom next month.
The flamboyance of the Indian Maharajas, renowned Art Deco collectors, can be seen in key pieces such as Javad armchair and Victoire daybed. Another major influence for the collection is the designer/artist José María Sert aka Jojo Sert. Originally from an immensely rich Catalan family of textile manufacturers, José’s murals covered the walls and ceilings of cathedrals and ballrooms as well as Rockefeller Center in NYC. He was also a pioneering interior and furniture designer. Pieces such as the Narmina day bed and Turgi sofa, with its strong bronze columns, recall the decadence of Sert’s hand as well as his preference for generous yet streamlined proportions.
Another key element within the collection is the introduction of rock crystal. Misia Sert, Jojo’s wife and best friend to Coco Chanel, placed crystal shards as decorative objects around her sumptuous rue de Rivoli, Paris apartment. Sultana has reinvented this material, making the crystal both magnificent and modern by working with a painstaking treatment process of applying rock crystal to pieces such as the linear and flowing Rocco gueridon and Coco side table and on the bases of the Petra floor lamp and Nadia table lamp, which both emit a b witching shimmer akin to semi precious gemstone.