Design

The core business of our company is design.  The only value of a collection or a piece of furniture is through the pleasure it can give to clients who decide to decorate their home with a piece of furniture bearing the Ernest Ménard signature.

Ernest Ménard, recognised for being one of the most creative brands on the market, is synonymous with imagination, quality, sharing and well-being.

To surprise and satisfy, design is a process which involves many players.

. To begin with it involves "sniffing" the market, to discover the evolutions and revolutions.  Of course this is done through close observation of fashion and decoration magazines, observing the life of our contemporaries and always visiting shops and trade fairs throughout the world,  However first and foremost it is feeling and intuition which directs decisions.  Whatever the type of design, what ambiance for what type of home?  So many questions that Ernest and Gaëtan Ménard ask themselves on a daily basis.

. Then comes the time for the act of designing.  Once the theme of the collection has been defined, it is through communication with the chosen designer, whether he comes from the company or outside, that the directions are set out and then talent takes over. 

The designer explores the leads, pushes the limits and makes suggestions.  Now comes the moment for discussions and adjustments.  A small group of men and women react, comment and direct developments.

This work of design is the profession of craftsmen in which each detail is questioned, gauged and validated.  At the same the search for the finish takes place.  This matters just as much as the design.  The finish is feeling it, touching it, in fact the sensuality of the piece of furniture. With the assistance of the best specialists, Ernest Ménard questions the existing finishes and encourages development and imagination.

. A successful collection is the marriage of design, selection of the right species and the touches of other materials, and the perfect finish.

. Then it is the turn of our Research & Development technicians who guarantee feasibility and set the project to music to give it life.  At this stage the prototype team make the first piece of furniture - the moment of truth.  This is looked at, touched, commented upon, and changed. It is the subject of everyone's attention until the final version is accepted.

The different pieces of furniture that make up the collection are then developed and the final judgement is made by clients and consumers.  We then introduce the collection to favoured and external contacts and to consumers to gather their reactions, their observations and their feelings.

After these final discussions and the final modifications the collection takes off to meet clients and consumers.

This long process of creation is both agonising and fascinating.  It is the essence of our profession and that is what makes it so exhilarating.