Gilles Saint-Gilles, who are you?

-- Who can answer a question like that?
I consider myself an artisan, formed at the Ecole Boulle and the Beaux Arts. I have always had a contact with materials, wood, bronze, and my first concern is the respect for the object, of its history, of its life

What does a project mean to you?

-- It is the union of a place and a being who inhabits a place. My second concern is the respect of the hosts of a place, their history, their sensibilities, and their aspirations so as to be able to bring them serenity within comfort.

A place should not be a reproduction of Versailles, Venice of the Taj Mahal. It must be the reflection of the capacity to appreciate Beauty throughout all ages and especially all the continents. Why would we not like Ming pottery, primitive arts, XVIII century furnishings, Venetian mirrors, the chairs of Mies Van der Rohe, the baroque dressers? Each being is multiple. Why would one live in an Epinal image?

Do you prefer classic or contemporary art?

-- Stravinsky said that there is not classic or contemporary music. There is only good or bad music.

In the sense that it is today that space is creates, whichever be the elements of the pas that it constitutes, we are in a space that is contemporary, if not only for the fact that the person inhabiting it is made of flesh and emotion. Each person lives today with the culture of their roots. That’s why the comprehension of man, of the woman , is essential in my work.

You have realized a number of princely palaces, upscale residences, castles, country homes, art galleries and fashion boutiques. How do you create such different spaces for such a diverse clientele?

This question is at the heart of my work, Certainly, the cultural aspirations and references are diverse but the requirement of quality, of perfection, the need for harmony and peace is identical even if expressed through different methods. In other ways, I seek to translate the soul of the host of the place ( I don’t like the word client which excludes all affectivity, emotion, sympathy complicity necessary for my work. In this sense, I think I am more of an interior than exterior architect.)