Established in 2010 by Pascale Mussard, a sixth-generation member of Hermès family, petit h was built around a rather different approach to design. Rather than beginning with an idea and sourcing materials to bring it to life, the creative process works in reverse. It starts with what already exists.
Housed in Pantin, just outside Paris, the petit h workshop brings together artists, designers and artisan to work with materials no longer used by the house’s other métiers. Leather, silk, porcelain, crystal and metal are among the remnants that find their way into its materials store, where they are revisited, reimagined and given an entirely different purpose.
Under the creative direction of Godefroy de Virieu, this process is as much about experimentation as it is about craftsmanship. The material itself informs the design, with artisans working together to explore unexpected combinations and techniques never before applied by the house. The result is a collection of objects that sit somewhere between function and art, each with its own character.
A crystal salt cellar with a lid shaped shaped like a button is one example of playful thinking behind the collection. Elsewhere, fragmen...