Laura Gonzalez at her Paris gallery with her Mawu chair before an artwork by Maurizio Donzelli.
Photo: Jerome Galland
Creative Mind: Laura Gonzalez
The famed international designer shapes the glamorous interiors of the new Manhattan location for Printemps
Laura Gonzalez. Photo: Courtesy of Laura Gonzalez
The audacious interiors Laura Gonzalez formulates are as much installation art as they are compilations of artisan originals and collectible design. From her own galleries in New York and Paris to the boutique hotel Casa Monti in Rome, her inimitable scenography brings together a unique palette of colors, irresistible textures, and voluptuous shapes.
“First thing is always research, finding the feeling for the place, digging into the culture,” she says from her glamorous Paris office. Building on that narrative, she crafts enviable interiors, like Cartier’s newest locations in Hawaii and later this fall, Miami’s Design District, or sculptural furnishings, such as the Mawu chair in chiaroscuro silk that debuted during Deco Off, or the new collection of travel-inspired fabric and wallpaper with Schumacher coming this September. “A lot of things we worked on in the last five years are all coming out; it’s like having ten babies at the same time,” she says of her 2025 debuts. “We are going to launch in New York and Paris different pieces because we want people to have different things in every city; I think it’s important.”
Sneaker Room features an array of Nike products. Photo: Gieves Anderson for Printemps New York
Art also plays heavily into Gonzalez’s oeuvre. In her New York salon, a massive custom fireplace by ceramist Laurent Dufour was the launchpad for the rest of the aesthetic, while her upcoming interiors at the Mandarin Oriental in Majorca, opening in the fall, feature a custom mural by Spanish artist Rafael Uriegas. “We pay a lot of attention to details and work with amazing craftsmen,” she says. “I think the mix between us and all the people collaborating on a project makes for rich, timeless architecture.”
Photo: Gieves Anderson for Printemps New York
Salon Vert. Photo: Gieves Anderson for Printemps New York
Color theory: “People love to be beige or gray; we never use gray. Color is everywhere around us; you just have to find the balance,” says Gonzalez.
Stateside presence: “I cannot tell you how much I love New York; I think it’s Europe with an American way—it’s very unique. I have three kids and two dogs and they sleep on my sofas, so I think it’s important to not be like a gallery of glass where you cannot walk. You must live with beauty and be comfortable, and I think that’s the feeling people have when they come to the gallery.”
Casa monti. Photo: Jérôme Galland
Gonzalez’s New York City gallery. Photo: Courtesy Laura Gonzalez
Up next: She is overseeing the interiors of the highly anticipated New York debut of French department store Printemps, including a brasserie, a Champagne bar, and a coffee shop. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime project,” she says of the Wall Street destination, which will open this spring after three years of construction. “Between the landmark part with the red room and the modern part with the glass block, this was a big source of inspiration. Then you have the DNA of Printemps, where you have so much craftsmanship, so much glass work, so much mosaic, a lot of things that we are bringing back to New York. It will be the biggest concept store in the world.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2025 Spring Issue under the headline “Creative Minds.” Subscribe to the magazine.
Junior suite at Hotel Byblos Saint-Tropez. Photo: Stephan Julliard
Cartier Azabudai. Photo: Jérôme Galland
Cover: Laura Gonzalez at her Paris gallery with her Mawu chair before an artwork by Maurizio Donzelli.
Photo: Jerome Galland
