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Rays of Light – Pierre Gonalons and La Manufacture Prelle Redefine the Glow of French Artistry

Rays of Light – Pierre Gonalons and La Manufacture Prelle Redefine the Glow of French Artistry October 19, 2025Interior Design, ParisOff

Rays of Light – Inside Pierre Gonalons’ Dream of Silk and Sunlight

by Shari Inessa for What We Adore

Stepping into the salons of La Manufacture Prelle at Place des Victoires felt like entering a parallel universe – one where light, fabric, and history melt into poetry. It was as if the air itself shimmered. The moment I crossed the threshold, the noise of Paris faded, replaced by the soft rustle of silk and the glow of something timeless.

The exhibition, titled “Rays of Light”, was born from an inspired meeting between Pierre Gonalons, the Parisian designer with Lyonnaise roots, and Sabine Verzier, who now leads the legendary Manufacture Prelle. What began as a series of conversations evolved into a collection that reinterprets the grandeur of historical silk wall coverings – from the 18th century to Art Deco – through a distinctly contemporary eye.

Prelle, a family-run house since 1752, has long been a guardian of French textile heritage. Its fabrics have dressed royal seats, from the armchair of Marie-Antoinette to the imperial boxes of Napoleon III at the Opéra Garnier. Yet what struck me most was not the prestige of the house, but its humanity – the quiet devotion of its artisans, the measured rhythm of their gestures, the respect for time that luxury demands.

In Rays of Light, this devotion materializes in five stunning satin jacquards, each a meditation on luminosity. Gonalons conceptualized the idea of light itself – the sun’s rays, starlight, even fireworks – rendered in pattern and texture. Two large decorative panels anchor the collection: one with a radiant sun motif, the other with elongated diamond stripes that echo beams of light. These grand gestures are harmonized by three smaller-scale weaves with delicate stripes, dotted patterns, and subtle sparkles – all in exquisite tones of champagne, coral, and green.

Each motif required six months of development, designed point by point on a digital Jacquard system – a technique that still mirrors the process invented by Joseph-Marie Jacquard in the early 19th century. I imagined the artisans at their looms, 18,424 threads aligned with precision, small bobbins spinning softly as satin flowed beneath their hands. Upstairs, antique handlooms whisper history; downstairs, modern Dornier machines hum in perfect rhythm. It is an extraordinary dialogue between centuries – between the ancestral and the future.

The scenography itself felt like a dream within a dream. Gonalons transformed the six historic salons of Prelle’s Parisian showroom into an intimate universe – part gallery, part private apartment. The filtered light from tall French windows illuminated the fabrics, revealing how they respond to movement, like liquid light. Antique mirrors by Paul Follot, a ceramic fireplace by Gentil & Bourdet, and a crystal-beaded chandelier by Gonalons himself completed the scene. Some of his newest creations, upholstered in Lyon silks, sat effortlessly beside these historical pieces – a delicate conversation between eras.

Each room had its own atmosphere: a reading salon draped in portières, a bar room where the walls shimmered softly, and a space entirely devoted to the grand radiating motif of Rays of Light. It felt personal, almost sacred – as though I had wandered into the private world of a poet who thinks in color and light.

Leaving the exhibition, I felt changed – quietly uplifted. Rays of Light reminded me that true modernity does not reject tradition, it illuminates it. There is something profoundly moving in realizing that a centuries-old silk house can still create objects of such freshness, such relevance, and such grace.

It wasn’t just an exhibition. It was a state of mind – a reverie woven in silk and sunlight.

Tags: Art Deco, artisanship, contemporary art, craftsmanship, Design, Exhibition, exhibition Paris 2025, French heritage, haute décoration, heritage, historical craft, interiors, La Manufacture Prelle, lumière, Luxury Lifestyle, Lyon, Maison d’art, Maison Prelle, Paris, Pierre Gonalons, Pierre Gonalons design, Pierre Gonalons Studio, Place des Victoires, Rays of Light, satin façonné, savoir-faire, silk, textile design, timeless beauty, What We Adore