Guillerme et Chambron

Robert Guillerme and Jacques Chambron met as prisoners of war in 1940, bonding over a shared passion for design. Some years after the war, Chambron relocated to northern France, living with Guillerme and his family for a time. They took their drafts of ideas to cabinetmaker Émile Dariosecq and together the trio formed Votre Maison.

Votre Maison produced an exhaustive amount compared to other European design houses of the 1950s and 60s. The blueprints of their furniture designs would be largely unaltered throughout the years, only with additions of tiling on coffee tables or pops of bright upholstery to differentiate collections. Even the preferred material – a waxed oak – continued to be used. Guillerme et Chambron’s founders were an effective business partnership; the former spearheaded the design team, the latter created the buzz about the brand through exclusive ateliers and influential clients. They remained surprisingly private individuals though, their furniture far more recognisable than themselves!