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Elizabeth Garouste et Mattia Bonetti

These two figures of design, voted "Designers of The Year" in 1991 at the International Furniture Fair, have been working together since 1982. They endeavor to develop design in all its shapes and formes, creating one-of-a-kind objects, limited editions for collectors or mass-produced objects.

By Frédérique de Granvilliers

What was your first fragrance?

EG: A German, lavender-based fragrance, but I can't remember the name.
MB: Snuff ! by Elsa Schiaparelli, pretty sweet and a little old-fashioned. I was in my twenties then. I also wore Eau Sauvage by Christian Dior.

What fragrances did your parents wear?

EG: My father didn't wearcologne, my Mom used several fragrances: Arpège by Lanvin, Mitsouko by Guerlain, and Vent Vert by Balmain. The fragrances got mixed up in her purses, on her gloves, clothes, furs, and of course on her skin. It was reassuring for me and it identified her.

Are there any particular smells that evoke memories?

EG: Freshly cut grass reminds me of my vacations in the Swiss mountains. As a child, I lived in Paris and that smell of grass had a taste of freedom. I also like the smell of liquid manure in farms and I don't dislike the smell of gasoline.
MB: Some smells lift a curtain... It's very fleeting and intimate. Something that can't be shared.

What smells do you dislike?

EG: The smell of garbage. The smell of gunpowder that makes me think of weapons.
MB: The polluting smells of cities and cars... and the smell of contemporary fragrances. Some of them are very aggressive and exceptionally vulgar, especially some men's fragrances.

What are your favorite smells?

EG: The smell of babies. It's such a tender smell that you want to bury your nose in them. The smell of garlic mixed with parsley. Lavender in the fields of Provence. The smell of cleanliness, and subtle smells.
MB: Anything that evokes greenery and water. I am a native of Lugano and the lake has a particular smell especially in hot weather. It's sweetish and a bit acrid. A smell of childhood. I like the smell of the sea, the combination of sun and water, the smell of soil and grass after a rain. The smell of humus in the forest that doesn't get much sun. It's a pretty strong smell, intoxicating. The smell of the skin of someone I love.

Do you wear different kinds of fragrance?

EG: Just like my mother. Today I am wearing l'Heure Bleue by Guerlain. It was cold this morning and it's the fragrance I wear in winter.
MB: Almost every day, but I don't use any cologne when I am at the beach, or perhapsjust a hint in the evening. I wear Pour un Homme by Caron, very
discreet, and Guerlain Colognes such us l'Eau Impériale or l'Eau du Coq, which are very light. I also use Mouchoir de Monsieur by Guerlain.

What fragrance do you like to smell on others?

EG: It's a coincidence, but my husband wears the same fragrances my father used to wear.
MB: Mitsouko by Guerlain: subtle and elegant. You have to be very close to the other person to smell it. Also Eau d'Hermès, that I myself wear once in while. It's a lightly spicy, unisex fragrance.

Their current projects

PThey have designed the concept for the Holiday Seasons at the Galeries Lafayette department stores, titled "Fabuleux Noël 2001" (Fabulous Christmas). Between the display wndows, the store's interior and the 82-feet tall Christmas tree at the Boulevard Haussman location, it's a huge undertaking. "We have just designed a Concept Store for the Swatch group's new Tourbillon label. About fifty stores will open worldwide in the near future. The stores will cary the most up-to-the minute watches : Tourbillon by Breguet, Omega watches, Blancpaincs etc... The first store has just opened its doors on rue Royale, right across from Maxim's. Until the end of the year, we are organizing a huge retrospective of our creations since the 80's, held at the Musée du Grand Hornu near Brussels. "It's an extraordinarily big, early 19th century industrial site. The exhibition will be held until the end of March, then it will be in Lisbon for the whole summer, then..."