We cannot be brilliant in all fields of activity, as you can be great in one, and only good in the others. In case you would like to have a beautifully arranged home and interior, you’d better look for an interior designer, as it take a real professional to make the decoration and interior of your dreams come true. The truth is, designers literally shape the world that we see. Whether they sprinkle their magic dust over buildings, homeware, watches, jewellery, clothes or a combination of the them, they are the design powerbrokers, the people who do more than anyone else to influence how our lives look and what we aspire to.

CovetED has been presented with a chance to share with its readers an in depth perspective on one of the most influential designers in the United States. During we our stay in Miami for our CovetED Celebrate design with friends tour, we were lucky to meet François Frossard, were our meeting resulted is a specific point of view about interior design and discover a more about the praised interior designer’s life and personality.

Known for his cutting edge approach to interior design, François Frossard has become one of the most praised professionals in the business. His signature “grand style” infused with “high bold drama” can be found in celebrated venues all around the world. What is more, François Frossard’s team customizes each project and leads the current new romantic design movement, infusing decadent glamour with whimsy and mystique, pairing contradiction with tradition.

François Frossard got started as a cabinet maker and went to professional school to develop craftsman skills, where he got degrees as a “Cabinet maker“, “Kitchen cabinet maker” and “Carpenter”.  After that he went on to study architecture in Geneva for three years, moving shotly after to the famous Ecole Boulle Paris, known for its well-established design and arts degrees. Admired for his impeccable design skills, François Frossard has gained an outstanding reputation among his coveted clientele, including current and former heads of state, A-List celebrities and numerous socialites.

We were lucky to get a unique insight on how the French designer started his career and established himself in the US. Early on in his professional experience he was highly involved in the furniture industry, and worked for a well-known designer in Chicago. During that period he discovered hospitality and restoration projects, and residential design, where he realized that he could apply much of the experience he had acquired throughout his youth to each of them. After 14 years, François Frossard was asked to come down to Miami to help with some projects. This trip changed his life, and Miami looked like a new start for the designer.

In 2002, Francois set a new standard in Night Life Design after unveiling Prive for The Opium Group, a nightclub firm known for their celebrity clientele. This made his popularity spread around the world together, establishing his signature design with it.

For François Frossard, Celebrating design with friends means the interpretation of himself, his soul. It is more about being able to interplay the project from A to Z. According to his point of view, “luxury is not actually defined by money”, but “what everyone feels is luxury”. Everybody has a standard of what luxury should be about. “You cannot redefine luxury looking at some amazing palaces and places” he explains.

In terms of differentiating between the European and American luxury style, François Frossard states that some parts of the US are still lacking a little bit of fashion, but in Miami everyone may acknowledge its better view. “In the US we have a broader scale of supply and product than we have in Europe” he states. However, “the European style is simple and has a natural flavor” and in Europe “we have much easier access to the Italian, Portuguese, Spanish market in terms of high-end design and fashion”.

Among the most exciting projects there are some situated in Texas and Miami. Currently, his design team is occupied on many projects, trying to develop their markets in Europe and Mexico, were he has already left his mark on the QUEEN PARIS nightclub at the Champs Elysées in Paris, the Moon Palace Cancun in Mexico, and the mighty hotel-resort LeBlanc in Cabos.

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François is travelling to Jamaica in a short few weeks, for the opening of the Moon Palace Grande. Having undergone a multi-million dollar renovation before opening at Ocho Rios Bay, the resort will include modernized guestrooms, overhauled meeting spaces, upgrades and redesigns of the common areas, as well as a freshly designed restaurant. Based on a Jamaican-Caribbean film, the resort interiors will blend whimsical, European influences with chic Caribbean undertones. Offering the most meeting space in any hotel in Jamaica, the Moon Palace Grande will feature five dining destinations, including gourmet Asian, traditional Italian, and modern Caribbean restaurants.

Stepping away from the work conversation, CovetED was excited to find out more about how the designer spends his free time. Despite travelling a lot on work purposes, François visits Paris, and its luxurious southern cities of St. Tropez, Cannes and Monaco, on a regular basis.

The designer is fond of Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones as well as Bono and U2, for their longevity, and ability to remain at the top of their game after decades in the music industry. On the visual art front, he adores fellow French designer Phillipe Starck, considering him one of his main influences. In terms of design brands, François Frossard is completely in love with Boca do Lobo, considering them a favorite. It’s each the fact that each of Boca do Lobo’s pieces tells a special story, and stirs emotion from the first moment you lay eye on them.

Furthermore, François takes his inspirations from speaking to people, travelling and discovering villages in his beloved South of France. He believes that “inspiration has to come naturally and it cannot be false”, and considers it as something that really comes and goes. The Forge restaurant, in Miami, which he designed four year ago, is one of his favourite dining spots. In terms of hospitality, Frossard find the La Co(o)rniche Hotel in Pyla-sur-mer, designed by Phillipe Starck, to be his favourite, thanks to its beautiful setting and  prime location on the Côte d’Argent.

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Overall, art plays a significant part in the life of François Frossard. In his opinion, art is the best starting point in interior design. Art is a huge part of design, as it may define something that will also get a story. And that is well reflected in his studio where a work of art in the form of sculptures, paintings or furniture pieces make their presence known in each room and fill the studio with a charming aura.