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and a fantasy Japanese palace garden of peach blossom, exotic birds, and graceful fronds. "We conducted in-depth research on the great classical Edo-period arts and crafts of Japan and especially their exquisite gold-leaf and copper-leaf finishes, the finely detailed portrayals of flowers, nature, and the night sky," said Hannah Cecil Gurney, whose father, Claud Cecil Gurney, founded the company in 1986. "Every new design we've crafted is rooted in Japanese history. Each is a tribute to 17th-century hand- painting effects that look spontaneous, evocative, and surprisingly modern." On rue Saint-Benoit, a few steps from Café de Flore, Toulouse-based textile house Élitis offered a collection of rave-worthy psychedelic patterns. Artistic director Ariane Dalle paid homage to the Warhol- era '70s with acid-trip colors (chartreuse, s h o c k i n g p i n k , tangerine, turquoise) O vernight snowfall had turned Left Bank Paris into a hushed medieval village when interior designers arrived for their first appointments. In the muted morning light of historic place Furstemberg (home of the designer-favored Musée Delacroix), vitrines in stone-walled showrooms were a kaleidoscopic of vivid floral-print linens, ravishing rococo silks, and Yucatan-inspired embroidered hemp. Designers venturing into the 13th-century cobbled stone courtyards of rue Jacob and rue Bonaparte caught glimpses of shimmering wallpapers newly arrived from London, Milan, and workshops in remote regions of France. Paris Déco Off has become a must- do for top designers, just as Paris fashion week is a must-see for those in the fashion oeuvre. The design event was founded by powerhouse luxury fabrics companies including Pierre Frey, Loro Piana, Rubelli, and Élitis, and Samuel & Sons, as well as U.S. showrooms Kneedler Fauchère and Allan Knight and Associates. Early on the agenda was de Gournay, the London- based, family-owned masters of ultra-luxe hand-painted wallcoverings. Set in an 18th- century mansion, the maze of romantic apartments was an escapist fantasy of flowering gardens, shimmering silver moonlight, large-scale white cranes with beaded wings and embroidered plumes and eyes, and wool and linen designs named Funky, Groovy, and Bowie. Embroidered and multi- textured magic-mushroom blurred stripes had a trippy vibe. A collection of abstract prints was inspired by the Expressionist paintings by American artists Lee Krasner and Joan Mitchell. In their rue Jacob pop-up, London-based Osborne & Little took a deep dive into exoticism with the new Byzance collection. Patterns included Persian gardens, a forest of rare trees, and a compelling compendium of colorful birds. A few steps along rue des Saints-Pères, in a dramatic steel-framed loft designed in 1888 by Gustave Eiffel, Brian Hackfeld, business development director for Allan Knight & Associates showroom in Dallas, was showing new Loro Piana silk/cashmere textiles and the full range of suede-trimmed cashmere blankets, s u p e r f i n e M e r i n o wool, and the Atacama herringbone-patterned wool-and-cashmere throw inspired by Andean weaving, along with leather-trimmed upholstery. Hackfeld has attended Paris Déco Off each year since its inception. Above: Pierre Frey Carnet de Voyage Ikati. Right: Samuel & Sons Bagatelle by Timothy Corrigan. Far right: Jim Thompson Panlong in Firecracker. Left: Samuel & Sons Bagatelle by Timothy Corrigan. Far left: Élitis psychedelic patterns. (Continued) PHILIPPE GARCIA