Among the most emblematic pieces were folding screens, floor lamps, sconces, guéridons, stools, sofas, and even curtains. The wrought-iron chairs stood out for their circular backrests in vivid tones reminiscent of the Prince Impérial chair of 1985. Also featured was a pair of rectangular mirrors in black-painted wood, accented with coral-tinted branches arranged in friezes, extending this organic and colorful vocabulary so dear to the duo. These pieces, whose style broke away from the well-mannered codes of bourgeois interiors, naturally found their place in collectors’ salons. Their measured extravagance fit seamlessly even within the most reserved décors. Imagine these chairs with flamboyant antennae or these grotesque sconces nestled between two moldings: you are transported into a theater, where each object claims its share of the spectacle. You are no longer in a simple couture salon nor before a classical collection: you are immersed in the enchanted world of the Elizabeth Garouste & Mattia Bonetti duo.
When the Lacroix house closed, this spectacular stage setting was dispersed. In May 2010, Sotheby’s Paris orchestrated the sale of 97 lots from this mythical décor. It was a resounding success: €543,342 under the hammer, against an estimate of €350,000. Pairs of chairs with curious antennae soared to nearly €20,000 each, circular-back armchairs captivated collectors, while bronze grotesques found buyers as far afield as the Middle East. Even the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris preempted several pieces, recognizing the historical importance of the ensemble—proof that here, furniture transcended its function and entered the realm of heritage.
This sale confirmed what many already suspected: the meeting of Lacroix with Garouste & Bonetti was not a simple interior decoration project, but one of the most emblematic unions between fashion and interior design. As Cécile Verdier, then director of the 20th Century Decorative Arts department, summed it up: “The taste and talent of the three great creators Christian Lacroix, Elizabeth Garouste, and Mattia Bonetti asserted themselves tonight. The results paid tribute to this major current in interior decoration, tinged with nostalgia, yet still in vogue among international collectors.”
And the story did not end there: on April 23, 2025, a new sale organized in Nice by the Boisgirard Antonini auction house once again dispersed several pieces from the Christian Lacroix house. This sale recalled that, nearly forty years after their creation, these works continue to arouse the interest of collectors and circulate on the art market.
Even today, the pieces of Elizabeth Garouste & Mattia Bonetti fascinate. Willingly inspired by the 18th century and running counter to both standardization and functionalism, they also demonstrate that with Christian Lacroix, the art of living does not hide in discretion, but boldly embraces a carnivalesque theatricality.
Christian Lacroix and Garouste & Bonetti
In the hushed Paris of haute couture in the 1980s, salons were still adorned with discreet mirrors, Empire armchairs, and silky velvets. It was within this conventional décor that an explosion of colors, shapes, and materials burst forth in July 1987: Christian Lacroix, a couturier freshly established at 73, Faubourg Saint-Honoré, entrusted the design of his house to two masters of design, Elizabeth Garouste & Mattia Bonetti.
The Elizabeth Garouste & Mattia Bonetti duo, already nicknamed the “new barbarians,” stood out for their freedom in the face of established codes. Their furniture drew upon a singular formal vocabulary, where structures transformed into stylized branches, sconces took the shape of grotesque masks, and mirrors were embellished with coral-like motifs. This imagination composed a theatrical language in which each piece of furniture became an actor in the mise-en-scène. Christian Lacroix, a couturier of exuberance, found in them the ideal partners to extend the opulence of his creations into the décor of his house.
This sale confirmed what many already suspected: the meeting of Lacroix with Garouste & Bonetti was not a simple interior decoration project, but one of the most emblematic unions between fashion and interior design. As Cécile Verdier, then director of the 20th Century Decorative Arts department, summed it up: “The taste and talent of the three great creators Christian Lacroix, Elizabeth Garouste, and Mattia Bonetti asserted themselves tonight. The results paid tribute to this major current in interior decoration, tinged with nostalgia, yet still in vogue among international collectors.”
And the story did not end there: on April 23, 2025, a new sale organized in Nice by the Boisgirard Antonini auction house once again dispersed several pieces from the Christian Lacroix house. This sale recalled that, nearly forty years after their creation, these works continue to arouse the interest of collectors and circulate on the art market.
Even today, the pieces of Elizabeth Garouste & Mattia Bonetti fascinate. Willingly inspired by the 18th century and running counter to both standardization and functionalism, they also demonstrate that with Christian Lacroix, the art of living does not hide in discretion, but boldly embraces a carnivalesque theatricality.
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