As Reminiscence Home prepares to showcase its latest offerings at Maison&Objet, Géraldine Delettre, the French brand's founder, shares her excitement and aspirations for the fair, her love for the hotel industry, and her plans for expanding into new markets.
Géraldine Delettre.
Aiming for collaborations
At the upcoming Maison&Objet, Delettre has clear goals. 'I really would like to collaborate on a large hotel restaurant project,' she reveals. While she has already secured partnerships with high-end French luxury brands—details of which are still under wraps—her ambition to merge her current work with the hotel industry is a personal passion. 'Hotels are my first love,' she says, reflecting on her past successful career as a project director in construction for the hotel industry. 'I would love to mix my work now, my creations, with the hotel industry. It would be a real thrill to combine all my expertise into a project.'
Expanding into the US, Canada, and Asia
Beyond her hopes for new collaborations in the hospitality sector, Géraldine is looking forward to an exciting year of global expansion. 'The big adventure for 2024/2025 will be expanding in the US and Canada,' she shares. 'We have signed with a great distributor and agent, so this will be really challenging.' But the excitement doesn't stop there—Asia is also on the horizon. 'Before the summer, I also signed with a high-end agent in Asia,' she says, expressing her delight at the rapid convergence of opportunities. 'It's funny how life can surprise you, sometimes you take months to work on a project and you're waiting and at one point everything is coming together at once.'
Looking ahead, Géraldine reveals that the next year will also bring an expansion in their decorative offerings. 'We'll introduce two new tableware collections and a lot more different items in decorations. It's good business right now.'
Introducing the Signature Collection at Maison & Objet
At the fair, Reminiscence Home will unveil the Signature range, a collection that has already generated buzz in New York earlier this year. 'No one, not even the major brands, has created large-scale porcelain pieces like these,' Géraldine says. The collection, 12 months in the making, presented a significant challenge due to the high-temperature firing process involved—an art form she calls the "art of fire". 'The pieces are fired at 1400 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature possible. You never know how the material will react with such a high temperature. So even if you prepare everything, it's always a surprise.'
Presented in the prestigious Signature Hall at the fair, Reminiscence Home's offerings will include porcelain lighting fixtures, trompe l'oeil art objects, and the Present Bleu tableware collection, inspired by Géraldine's travels in Asia. 'The products were very well received in New York. People were amazed by the products and the quality of the lighting. And now people from Europe can see them. I've had many questions about the collection already,' Géraldine reveals. 'Especially the lighting objects are pieces of art in itself. It's not just a lamp, but also a statement of French craftsmanship made with metal, wood, marble. All of it is made by hand.'
Navigating economic challenges in France
Despite the excitement of new projects and international expansion, Géraldine remains mindful of the economic challenges in Europe, particularly in France. She acknowledges that the market conditions are tough, especially for retailers who have not adapted to changing consumer demands. 'It really depends on the store,' she explains. 'If they stayed the same, then it's difficult for them. The ones that are succesful are the ones who always do new things and maintain close, intimate relationships with clients and suppliers.'
Géraldine's approach to overcoming these challenges is rooted in a commitment to quality and personalised service. She offers flexible options for retailers, such as dropshipping and custom modifications. For Géraldine, the key to success lies not just in the quality of the product, but in the relationships she builds. 'People always forget service. It's the most important thing,' she insists. 'Quality of course and consistency is important, but the service and talking to people, helping them—that's what matters.' According to Géraldine it's fundamentally a human endeavour: 'Human first, same goes for craftsmanship: human first, no machines. You need close relationships and attention for your clients and the people working with you. They need to be engaged, then they will give you the best of their work and their art. Trust is the key,' she says. 'I don't want to work with negative people anymore. This is one of the best decision I ever made. What a time saver!'
Visit Reminiscence Home at Hall 7A, C31 at Maison&Objet.
More information:
Reminiscence Home
Galerie des Arcades
78 Av. des Champs-Élysées Bureau 326,
75008 Paris, France
[email protected]
www.reminiscencehome.com