READY, SET, GAME

Every year, Hermès artistic director Pierre-alexis Dumas decides on a theme for the French house. This year is all about “play”—here’s how the Hermès 2018/19 home collection brought the theme to life

LEATHER FEVER

There is no escaping exquisite leather pieces at Hermès, from dreamcatchers (above) and necklace busts, to a pure leather drawer on the Vice-versa table. The standout is the Pli'h series of sculptural desk objects crafted out of a single sheet of Bridle leather and held together with four stiches of white linen thread.

REINVENTING THE TANGRAM

The classic tangram, otherwise known as the seven boards of skill, made an appearance in the creations of designer Gianpaolo Pagni. Drawing inspiration from this puzzle, he created a mesmerising combination of colours and shapes on the covetable Tangram lacquer boxes—the paint is applied with a sponge to create depth and a perfectly imperfect finish.

NATURE ON THE TABLE

Called A Walk in the Garden, this year’s tableware collection features a playful rendition of twigs and leaves juxtaposed with lattices and herringbone motifs. A collaboration with artist Nigel Peake, these freehand drawings have a feeling of child-like liberation, and are rendered in happy colours including bright orange, buttercup and Prussian blue.