EquipHotel 2022—Noteworthy Brands Respecting Local Specificities and Cultural Immersion

Here are some brands exhibited at the EquipHotel 2022 that can help synchronize your hospitality project with customer satisfaction, the growing trend toward local specificities and cultural immersion. 

As discussed in numerous conferences during EquipHotel 2022, hotels and restaurants are becoming places with life at the center of their design layout where we combine work, meetings, creation, relaxation, fun activities, moments to recharge and cultural immersion with nature in proximity. The modular concept allows these spaces to be flexible and agile, appealing to customers with profiles as varied as their needs who are increasingly sensitive to territories, local specificities and other short circuits. They expect dynamics that are more respectful of the environment: bicycles, electric vehicles, organic products and energy savings. Yet, their need for beautiful design and decor remains intact. Here are some noteworthy brands from the event that respect local specificities and cultural immersion.

French furniture brand l’Escarpolette depends on its joinery team located in Deux-Sèvres, on the borders of the regions of New Aquitaine and Pays de la Loire. The team of men and women design, develop and manufacture the wood product lines for the brand that also relies upon local craftspeople who master materials other than wood. The ropes for the swings are designed and manufactured by the rope factory «La corderie Ladivine» in Maine et Loire, and the cushions that cover the seats are made by the companies «Toiles et Voiles»  (in Deux-Sèvres) and «SOFA» (in Vendée).

Portuguese ceramics brand Nosse designs and crafts ceramic tableware such as plates and bowls, using recycled materials. Its Ubuntu, in Aura Gold, recently earned the German Design Award Winner 2022. The ceramicists recycle as much as possible and aim to become zero-waste. They make their pieces from a composite of recycled and locally-sourced clay; all clay shavings and biscuits are reincorporated into the production line, leaving no waste. The pieces are then coated with an eco-glaze made 100% from recycled materials. The production of the glaze produces some waste but the brand manages to collect, treat and transform most of it into something new. To finish, the water used in during the process is recovered and treated for reuse.

A centuries-old technique worked its way into Catalan weaving developed at the end of the 19th century, the same time that St. Laurent de Cerdans became famous and prosperous thanks to the manufacturing of rope-soled sandals. In order to preserve the tradition, Les Toiles du Soleil rescued the last textile factory in the village and became one of the best French cotton fabric manufacturers of Catalan weaving. The company uses the same sewing looms from the past and produces canvasses with the striped patterns and typical colors that made the Catalan table linen from earlier times reputable. New collections include Boramar, Capri and Muscat-Oman.

French company Lelièvre is in its fourth generation with 100 years of know-how under the belt, with its designs brought to life in their weaving mill in Lyon. The company also releases satin creations under its brand Tassinari & Chatel, founded in 1680. The recent collaboration with Tristan Auer, the brand’s second project with the renowned designer, resulted in the NAJD collection. As a region in Saudia Arabia with a city coined the Paris of Najd in the early 1900s, the idea with this collection was the invitation to “travel” sent by Lelièvre to Auer which brought the designer—creatively speaking—to the mountainous, desert landscape of this distant region with craftsmanship deemed worthy of preserving.

Bernard Forestier founded his lighting brand in 1992 as a way to honor craftsmanship with woven wire from rustic metal, zinc or iron as the framework. The woven wire is made in the Philippines, much like some of the collections including Grass and Parrot, as a way to put forward their skills. One of the latest creations by Forestier is Carrie, a new collection by Jette Scheib for Forestier, fabricated in Spain. The designer reflected on the idea of a hanging lamp that collects, carries and keeps the light like a flask of perfume preciously preserving its fragrance, as she described it. The refined collection recalls the intimate light of Chinese lanterns.