Art is no longer confined to the canvas or the sculpture pedestal. Since 2008, YMER&MALTA has been creating objects that are all of these things at once. Through a quiet and intimate form of poetry, founder and artistic director Valérie Maltaverne speaks to a discerning, Francophile clientele.
Text by Marielle Brie de Lagerac
Art and Object Historian
The Experience of Beauty as a Daily Value
Beauty is neither spectacle nor proclamation. It does not exhaust itself in a fleeting moment of brilliance before fading into silence. For Valérie Maltaverne, beauty is a constant presence—a subtle atmosphere that accompanies everyday life. Rejecting repetition and banality, it emerges from a patient and relentless pursuit in which innovation serves timelessness, and form seeks its most accomplished expression.
This quest for enduring emotional and material resonance is rooted in the French decorative arts tradition. YMER&MALTA furniture and objects are conceived as vessels of emotion and poetry,
far removed from the transient and ostentatious gestures of trends.
“There is, in Valérie’s creations, that unique alchemy that defines true works of art.”
Olivier Gabet
Chief Curator of Heritage and Art Historian
Director of the Department of Decorative Arts, Louvre Museum
Everyday poetry
The extraordinary grows from the ordinary; the quality of daily life determines the quality of wonder. Materiality forms the bridge between the two, connecting the simplicity of everyday gestures with the emotions they awaken.
To touch an object, sit in a chair, open a drawer, observe the curve of a cabinet or the shadow cast by a light fixture—these gestures unite body and matter, gaze and light. For Valérie Maltaverne, materiality is a path to serenity, allowing beauty to be experienced naturally and intimately.
Such results require time, experimentation, and dedication. YMER&MALTA collections are patiently refined, far removed from the culture of rapid production and disposability. Valérie Maltaverne creates pieces intended to endure gracefully across generations, and the studio commits itself fully to that ambition.
“Valérie Maltaverne’s work reveals a profound engagement with wood, natural materials, and the forms and irregularities of nature, which she elevates into works of art.”
Gary Tinterow
Art Historian and Director
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The Heritage of the Future
Valérie Maltaverne shares with her clients a philosophy rooted in discretion, authenticity, and a refined and ambitious aesthetic. This way of inhabiting the world treats beauty as a lasting quality rather than a display of vanity. One is meant to be transmitted; the other eventually discarded.
At YMER&MALTA, the rejection of obsolescence and caprice is expressed through a continuous dialogue with the centuries-old traditions of French master craftsmanship. Every object and piece of furniture embodies this commitment. Designed to remain for more than a lifetime, these works are selected not only for their beauty but for the values and sensibilities they convey to future generations.
YMER&MALTA: A Contemporary Art of Living
The studio treats time as one might weave a precious fabric. Its creations embrace this living material and allow it to unfold. Instantly recognizable, the YMER&MALTA signature stands apart from the interchangeable and sanitized language of contemporary design.
Within interiors, new worlds quietly emerge, animated by the intimate experience of beauty. The studio creates design pieces as works of art. Endorsed by the Isamu Noguchi Museum and situated in the lineage of the artistic creations of Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, YMER&MALTA produces works whose value deepens with time, occupying a unique space between fine art and decorative art.
An Aesthetic of Balance
The richness of French artistic heritage serves as a continual source of inspiration for the studio. Its Francophile clientele appreciates the subtle and discreet references woven into each creation.
A carefully calibrated tension between tradition and modernity emerges through a dialogue between exceptional craftsmanship and contemporary creativity. Valérie Maltaverne expands the boundaries of modern aesthetics, transforming technical innovation into the language of a new visual vocabulary, untouched by the frivolity of passing trends.
Translating Inner Poetries
YMER&MALTA distinguishes itself through its rare ability to capture the essence of the intangible. The purity of its creations expresses enduring emotions and an autonomous sense of nature.
Ornament becomes evanescent poetry, revealing itself differently according to the changing light of day and season. Such sophistication is made possible only through an uncompromising selection of the finest materials entrusted to the most skilled hands. In doing so, the studio reaffirms the enduring principles of French luxury: quality before quantity.
The Choice of Discretion
Located away from the bustle of central Paris, the studio embraces a deliberate distance from immediate visibility. This reflects both a desire to preserve the intimacy of its showroom and a commitment to offering clients a confidential and reassuring environment in which bespoke projects can develop thoughtfully.
For Valérie Maltaverne, rarity and discernment serve as a natural filter. New clients often arrive through shared networks and affinities, establishing a foundation of mutual understanding and trust that nurtures meaningful collaborations.
YMER&MALTA: An Emblem of French Quiet Luxury
The YMER&MALTA method rests upon the mastery of fine craftsmanship and an unwavering pursuit of precision and excellence. This invisible yet powerful substance gives the studio’s creations their singular strength.
Encouraged by Valérie Maltaverne, master artisans push beyond the limits of their disciplines, demonstrating remarkable ingenuity and technical virtuosity. New methods, tools, and possibilities emerge from this collaborative process. This intangible wealth of intelligence and expertise defines the rarity of the YMER&MALTA signature and underpins the studio’s most distinguished partnerships.
A Distinctively French Expertise
Decorative arts draw upon a wide range of specialized crafts, often bringing together multiple artisans within a single piece. Coordinating these disciplines requires a profound culture of detail and proportion.
To orchestrate ambitious commissions for private collectors and interior architects, Valérie Maltaverne draws upon extensive experience managing complex projects for internationally renowned institutions. Her creative vision and technically demanding works have earned recognition from some of the most respected figures in the field of decorative arts.
“When her marquetry collection was unveiled, it was immediately evident that each piece drew upon a profound knowledge of decorative arts and could not be compared to any historical or contemporary work.”
Olivier Gabet
“In response to a society consumed by speed, YMER&MALTA stands as a bulwark against the relentless pursuit of productivity and consumption. Following the spirit of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement, the studio combines technological innovation with craftsmanship, the nobility of materials with the poetry of technique.”
Cloé Pitiot
Curator, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris
“YMER&MALTA has not merely engaged with the intangible heritage of the Aubusson tapestry tradition—it has enriched it.”
Bruno Ythier
Chief Curator, International City of Tapestry, Aubusson
Elegant Restraint
Neither institutional acclaim nor artistic recognition has altered the character of the studio, which remains deeply committed to discretion. This aesthetic of restraint, both in creation and in conduct, reflects YMER&MALTA’s understanding of luxury.
It is an ethic of harmony, a respectful and thoughtful way of being in the world. It favors whispers over proclamations, nuance over easy certainties. The luxury embodied by YMER&MALTA resides in the poetry of essentials, in a heightened homage to nature through intelligence, craftsmanship, and artistic vision.
This singular perspective gives rise to inimitable works of art, many of which are already held within some of the world’s most prestigious museum collections.
