Smoked Meat / Published on December 20, 2020
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SEE THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE IN
INTÉRIEURS MAGAZINE #79
Life Achievement Award GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN 2020
By Madeleine Champagne
“ The pioneers of the human race are those who read directly from the Book of the Universe.”
– Arthur Schopenhauer
SPARK
Before me, a feline-quality of a man, with laughing and lively eyes, whose gaze darkens for a moment when he talks about his childhood, he describes as somewhat grey. His expression lights up instantly when the memory of his maternal grandfather pops up. Cémélas de Champlain, a colossus. He was a baker and a pastry chef, but also a man of taste, an aesthetic lover, a peculiarity he inherited, he says with a laugh: the “gene of creativity”.
A BUDDING DESIGNER
Unfortunately, all his youth was coloured by a nagging feeling of “not being someone,” save a small respite in this fog when, at age 13, he redesigned his bedroom and redecorated the basement of his family home. Subsequently, when he arrived in Paris seven years later, he felt at home!
RENAISSANCE IN PARIS
Fresh out of the School of Applied Arts in Montréal, he enrolled at the Charpentier Academy in Paris. He was a talented student and graduated. O happiness! Jean Prud’homme Béné, a renowned interior designer, hired him for his new store on rue Saint-Louis-en-Île. Finally, a profession that was his.
His first client is Michelle Morgan, in all her glory, looking for “curtains” for her home; later, his first interior design client in Montreal would be Denise Filiatrault. “Denise’s nightclub launched my career,” he says. Life has given me two iconic godmothers.”
A PIONNEER ON THE MAINLAND
The return to Montreal is brutal; the profession of decorator is not in demand. For big projects, customers prefer going to New York or Toronto. But he is faithful to his dream of becoming the most sought-a er designer in his eld.
His hard work ethic helped launch his prolific career in 1967, as did his circle of friends in the public eye, among them Yvon Deschamps, André Montmorency, Renée Claude and Clémence Desrochers, all of whom entrusted him with the design of their home, restaurant or nightclub.
DÉCORMAG ACCOMPLICE
A daring, stubborn and persevering young woman, Ginette Gadoury, launched Décormag magazine in 1972, a magazine whose mission was to promote design and creators here.
A few months later, a decor created by Philippe Dagenais makes its cover!
A great bond will then be established between the two, a true symbiosis which will enrich the pages of the magazine and will also nourish the notoriety of the designer.
Peeps used to say: “This is a Décormag house”, or “This decor is by Philippe Dagenais”!
DÉCORMAG IN SYNC WITH HIS STYLE
His style was unique. This child prodigy of the interior decoration world introduced a hyper-modern style characteristic of the revolutionary Sixties, one which would mark the history of trend-setting Montreal.
Philippe Dagenais has never followed trends. He has always preferred geometric forms, sober palettes with just a burst of colour, smooth surfaces, and noble materials.
Always inspired by the unclassiable, atypical, deeply free designer Andrée Putman.
His ambition is to be “not fashionable, but never out of fashion.”
That is the only trend that has always animated him. He adds, rightly so, that even in the design of furniture, he did not copy others, but tried to be different.
GROUPE DES SEPT
Finally, with a few other designers here: Maryse Duval, Serge Lafrance and Madeleine Arbor, among others, this collaboration with Décormag and Ginette Gadoury saw the birth of an authentic Québécois approach and brand.
It was at this time that local interior design took its rightful place in the sun and was able to shine beyond borders. This alliance will last for several years, and the friendship endures.
ADVISE CLIENTS, YES, BUT ALSO EQUIP THEM
Eager to offer his customers furniture, lighting and designer accessories to match his style and beliefs, Philippe Dagenais opened his first stores in the early 1980s. His signature became the name of his company.
A pioneer in his concept from the start and with the help of a partner, Pierre Loiselle, his purchases, his designs and his artistic direction reflected his tastes and styles. Simplicity, zenitude, a sober and rich palette, clean lines … all of an indisputable good taste with an certainly perennial look.
His ideas will generate enthusiasm, in Montreal as in the region, for a more stylish environment in Quebec. What is more, furnishing well and living in a habitat designed by a professional was no longer seen as the privilege of the rich, but as being accessible to a wider clientele.
DESIGN 101
Eager to spread the “good news,” he subsequently appeared on television decorating shows alongside the likes of Dominique Michel and Danielle Ouimet. A great experience for him, but with his typical humility he calls himself “just a good sidekick” and he is most grateful to Studio 5316 for their tips on communication. Nevertheless, a “deco” show was rather rare at the time and certainly contributed to tame the notion that adding design in its private environment was a very good move.
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
He is grateful for the awards received, he won an Award of Excellence from Design Canada in 1983, then in 1985 won two Habitas trophies, awarded by the National Home Show. He was awarded the title of honorary member of APDIQ (Professional Association of Interior Designers of Quebec) in 2014 for his entire career and for having made it shine for the benefit of the profession.
Surrounded by the great affection of his ex-spouse, the beautiful Andrée, his adored daughter, Laurence, and his current partner, Claude Viau, emeritus painter and great Viking with serene eyes, he wears his 76 years with elegance and designs always interiors, allowing himself to choose projects he likes. “I always look for complicity with my clients.
PS
Philippe Dagenais is timeless. There are clients he revisits many years later who have not altered his design one bit. What’s more, they often ask him to design their children’s homes. That is solid, timeless design. Eternal!
Watch this exclusive short video edited by Sophie Thibault, a great friend of the designer, in remembrance of the presentation of the Philippe Dagenais Tribute Award at the 2020 GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN Gala.
Still curious to learn more, Philippe Dagenais’s book
