A family calling

Baptistin, Georges and Pierre Spade, ship interior decorators.

Text from the « revue Mobilier et Decoration N° 1 de 1954 »

«Baptistin Spade was born in Marseille March 13th, 1891. From 1905 to 1908, he worked at the École des beaux-arts de Marseille. He moved to Paris in 1908 where he continued to study drawing, painting and sculpture and in 1910 modestly installed himself as an interior designer : little by little he opened his own carpentry, tapestry and design workshops.

Spade had a long and fruitful career both as an interior designer and a furniture designer for private homes in Paris and throughout France : apartments, villas, châteaux, and internationally in Belgium, Switzerland, North and South America. He also designed offices for ship owners and builders, insurance companies and banks. At the same time, Spade worked for the Mobilier National in France who provided furniture for different government cabinets from the Labor Ministry, the Marines, the Post Office, Finance and French Embassies in Warsaw and Ottawa.

Spade also worked on the interior design and decor of more than 30 ships and cruise liners for the Compagnies Générale Transatlantique, Navigation mixte, Paquet and for the Société générale des Transports maritimes, etc. Among his many designs, he designed the 1st class dining room for the "De Grasse" ship ; the 1st class and cabin class dining rooms, the apartement of the Commissaire Principal for the ship "l'Ile de France"; the 1st class grand salon, the music salon and the bridge salon for the ship "Liberté" ; the smoking room, the lido, the 1st class pool, the staircase and the main hall, luxury apartments, for the ship "Flandre", 1st class areas for the ships "Kairouan", "Lyautey" and "El Djezair" and various designs for the ships "Ville d'Alger" and the "Ville de Tunis".

Spade felt that France was, in all artistic domains, and particularly in the sectors of cabinetmaking and interior design, a country of great tradition, of taste and technical expertise : he wanted to remain loyal to these principles while adapting to contemporary styles and delving into structural and ornamental themes. Spade, who continued to paint for his personal pleasure admired quality furniture and design, also adapted his work to more modest projects and small spaces.

He always preferred light wood and particularly ash but also used walnut and shirsham which he lightened these dark woods by judiciously using colors, materials, wallhangings, tapestries and rugs that he designed. He used new materials whenever possible but he preferred to use lacquer with gold leaf on walls and furniture, smooth or engraved, especially for luxury designs.

Finally, Spade collaborated and managed projects with masters of contemporary decorative art to create refined and somptuous decorative ensembles.»

Hence, this resumes Baptistin Spade’s career who began working with his sons Pierre and Georges between the two wars and who took over the business when he retired in 1959. His sons continued their career as decorators well into the 1980’s. The “Maison Spade” closed its doors when Pierre and Georges retired.