SkateModerne: faux shagreen furniture making a pretty splash this Fall

photograph by Tamara Stephenson

Meet Michelle Bergeron owner of SkateModerne -- a faux shagreen custom collection of furniture and wall coverings 

"SKATEMODERNE offers One-of-a-kind seasonal furniture collections focused on faux shagreen finishes, available in a wide variety of styles for contract and residential applications. Skatemoderne's faux shagreen furniture features a unique “COUTURE SHAGREEN” proprietary technology that produces stylish yet durable and functional pieces that can be made in any color, design or pattern." 

designed with clean lines and unusual accoutrements such as faux coral knobs and other nature inspired objects SkateModerne brings an old world tradition together with a modern twist.

 Michelle has a honed sense of style and with an artist's perspective.  As an experienced NYC interior designer she understands the consumer's needs. After many years of admiring shagreen, she made up her mind to create her own faux line of this fabulous material and furniture collection.

This July Michelle invited me to spend an afternoon in her beautiful Amagansett home complete with horses grazing in the pasture out the windows and many signature pieces from her SkateModerne line throughout her rooms.  Michelle walked me through her home and showed me some interesting art mingled in with her furniture line and pointing out a detailed hand painted wall covering she had helped to create -- a perfect frame for her colorful amethyst cabinet piece from the SkateModerne collection.  Of course the purple and blue hydrangeas put the entire look into orbit for me.  Later, I wrote a story for my summer decorating column, East End Nest in Dan's Papers magazine about SkateModerne

 Michelle's Amagansett, Long Island home showcases the best of her collection - check out the coffee table in photograph below

In case you missed my story in Dan's Papers read the editorial below:

Michelle Bergeron, above left, and with Tamara

A Unique Piece of Furniture Can Add Sparkle to Your Home

July 14, 2011

by Tamara Matthews-Stephenson

I admit to wanting a little “bling” in my home. A signature piece of furniture can make a space pop and finish the overall design with an exclamation point. Many of today’s best designers are adept at injecting a fresh, modern feel into their clients’ homes while keeping the integrity and good design principles intact.

Enter Michelle Bergeron, who is an interior designer, artist and furniture designer extraordinaire. Michelle offers a unique line of couture furniture adorned with a faux shagreen finish that is durable, water resistant and can be made in any color, design or pattern.

I first met Michelle at the Architectural Digest Home Show this past winter, where she introduced her extensive line of furniture and wall paneling collection called SkateModerne. Flocked by press and designers during the show, there was a buzz surrounding her booth, where she was offering pieces in interesting finishes and hues, mixed with rosewood, ebony woods and organic materials, all with unexpected touches such as semi-precious stones, steel and Lucite. Michelle’s customizable collection showcases mid-century silhouettes with a modern twist. Because Michelle originally hails from the fashion industry, she creates seasonal collections to keep her designs current, and all are artistically inspired.

What is shagreen, you ask? It’s a popular material that has been used for centuries throughout Europe and Asia, and utilizes the skins of interestingly-textured sharks or skates for design purposes. Michelle has long loved this look for its timeless appeal. After a visit with her children to Riverhead’s Atlantis Aquarium a few years back, though, she found herself drawn to a cute little white skate that swam up and caught her eye. As her children enthusiastically petted the skate, Michelle realized that she could no longer, in good conscience, buy shagreen furniture for herself and her design clients. After much contemplation, Michelle embarked upon creating a line of this fabulous material, offering quality faux shagreen to the industry.

Michelle and I spent an afternoon together in her beautiful Amagansett home viewing her personal collection of SkateModerne. Her clear design vision shines in her home, and the space is carefully edited with dashes of strong colors and modern lines. We gravitated towards the dining room, where taking center stage was the bright purple Deco Fern cabinet from her 2010 collection. This piece sets the tone for the room, and the sea coral-shaped knobs finish off the cabinet giving it a sophisticated feel, that is yet perfect for a beach house. The purple hydrangeas, the lovely cabinet, Michelle’s eclectic art, all melded together flawlessly, and we chuckled over the fact that even my magenta skirt fit magically into the color palette. I am happy to hear that SkateModerne is available right here in East Hampton’s Mecox Gardens, offering Hamptons residents a chance to buy these special pieces and bring a little sparkle into their homes.

Check out SkateModerne

at these locations this fall

and see what all the ruckus is about. 

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