Jacques Garcia, Storyteller

Decorator Jacques Garcia is renowned for his lyricism and outspokenness, which annoys some. But he is undeniably talented. A lover of decoration, the history of styles is his breviary. He juggles, reinterprets and stamps periods with his hallmark. Garcia was known as a 19 th -century enthusiast when the Costes Hotel opened in Paris before becoming passionate about the 17 th and 18 th centuries with the restoration of his Château de Champ de Bataille and the redevelopment of Versailles. Now he has decorated Chambord in the spirit of Francis I. He can design very contemporary interiors but is also familiar with history. How did this project come about? To commemorate the 500 th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's death and the birth of Chambord, Jean d'Haussonville, the director of the château, wanted to make things happen. Together we imagined a temporary installation faithful to the period. Francis I only had extremely short stays in Chambord. In the 16 th century, the court would move from one castle to another carrying tapestries, silks, chests and furniture…