MOVERS & SHAKERS
As co-owner of French homewares brand Caravane, this artistic director sources colourful fabrics, furniture and handcrafted accessories, each with a unique story to tell
How Veronique Piedeleu sources Caravane’s covetable homewares.
Veronique Piedeleu took up the reins of chic Parisian homewares brand Caravane in 2011. The artistic director travels the globe unearthing fabrics, furniture and handcrafted pieces. In 2014, the brand crossed the Channel, opening its first London shop in Marylebone’s creative design enclave.
I inherited my eye for design from my grandmother.
She was an antiques dealer and from a young age I would accompany her to trade fairs, exhibitions and shows. She educated me in textiles, colour and furniture. Most importantly, she taught me to be curious and to have an opinion.
I knew that I would work with colours and fabric one day.
I spent fifteen years in marketing and product development before I finally found my niche in interiors. At first I ran a French DIY brand with my husband, Jack-eric. We enjoyed working together and when we sold the business a few years ago, we knew we wanted a creative challenge.
In some ways, Caravane chose us.
When we met its founder, Françoise Dorget, there was a natural synergy between us. I knew of the brand and respected it, but I had an instinct that I could add to its layers and steer it in a new direction while preserving its niche nature. It can be daunting stepping into the unknown, but I took the plunge and absorbed as much as I could. I was excited to evolve such an iconic brand.
A sense of timelessness is important to me, so I try not to follow passing fashions.
The brand has always had an ethnic focus with handcrafted fabrics sourced globally. I’ve added a contemporary touch with own-brand pieces such as rugs, throws and lighting. At the same time, there are products, such as our Princesse divans and Counterpane eiderdowns, that have been part of the range for more than twenty years – they have become modern classics that we revisit with new fabrics.
Travel provides my inspiration.
I spend at least six weeks a year in India and our suppliers have become my friends. We love to support craftspeople – there is something unique about hand-blocked fabrics with all their individual imperfections. The spirit of the artisan is revealed in every piece. Each fabric is the start of a new story and I try to imagine how I can give it a twist, whether it ends up as a cushion or as bedlinen.
Caravane has become a family business.
Jack-eric looks after commercial development, while my daughter Capucine oversees communications. Exchanging ideas is one of my favourite elements of the job. Every day is like a treasure hunt, whether I’m abroad, designing or unearthing new suppliers at home.
Our own home is all about colour and texture rather than furniture.
It’s important that we don’t live in a show house. Recently, we moved from a period property to a modern, threestorey house in central Paris so that we could be closer to our stores. We have used colourfully upholstered sofas to delineate the largely open-plan layout and green is a dominant tone. Mixed in are quite a few vintage pieces inspired by my grandmother’s love of antiques. It all goes back to having a good eye and knowing how to combine di≠erent styles e≠ectively. Caravane, 38/40 New Cavendish Street, London W1G 9UD, 020 7486 5233, caravane.fr.