Émilie Migault, an interior decorator, opened her agency EMD in 2011. Her goal is to help her clients create a universe in which they recognize themselves, an atmosphere in which they will feel in harmony. Very attentive to her clients, her objective is to imagine universes that suit them and above all not to impose her own. She offers genuine qualitative support and today, she reveals the profession of decoration to us.
Can you introduce yourself briefly and explain the profession of decoration?
My name is Emilie Migault, I am almost 54 years old. I have been an interior decorator on my own for 10 years. It is a career change because I was trained as a chemist and worked for L'Oréal. I was responsible for lipstick formulations. A connection to the world of color but it did not sufficiently nourish my creative side.
I have always been somewhat immersed in the world of decoration. My parents taught me a certain idea of "good taste." From an early age, they took me to flea markets at St Ouen and to second-hand shops. They enriched me with other cultures and thus opened my mind to other universes. I took sculpture and modeling classes, which sparked my interest in art, aesthetics, and the harmony of proportions.
I have actually resumed stone sculpture, in addition to my decorating activity, for the past 2 years.
Finally, I have 3 children: Alexandre, Valentine, and Justine.
How did you enter the decoration profession?
I started decorating after buying a very large property that I renovated and completely transformed. Obviously decoration, but initially major structural modifications and constructions. The garage became the guest house. We created a pool, a tennis court, and a building to house the technical room, the summer kitchen, and an invisibly integrated telescopic pool shelter that is unnecessary during the summer. I managed this project with an architect who used the drawings I had made.
Often, architects are not very present on site and errors or changes are not managed directly. So I decided to take care of the site myself. That’s how I became aware of skills I was not using and especially of my interest in this profession. It took me a long time before starting. I was somewhat conditioned: a diploma/a job.
Then, a friend who is also a decorator kept telling me every time she came to the house, "Listen Emilie, this is your job, this is what you should do!" The idea gradually took root in my mind. When the children started growing up, I offered to work with this friend for a year, for free. I wanted to confront the profession, my skills or lack thereof, and see if I was really made for it. It was a rewarding experience that led me to open my agency at the end of our collaboration.
Did the lack of formal training or recognized school deter your clients?
That was obviously my fear, as you understand... But no, not at all. It does not deter clients. I started by helping my friends with projects and renovations. Then, there was a lot of word of mouth and today, I work almost exclusively through that. What held back my development was not having a website. So I took the time to create one during the lockdown. Thanks to that, I can showcase and build trust with potential clients who contact me without knowing my range of possibilities. It also allowed me to be contacted by the platform connecting decoration and construction professionals, "Houzz," to promote me in the 78 area.
So what really held me back was not knowing how to promote myself to people outside my close circle. Then, clients are sensitive to your taste, how you present possibilities, and how you take them into a universe they hope for but cannot conceptualize.
In your opinion, what qualities are required for decoration professions?
Creativity and imagination. Then comes a taste for harmony, listening, and availability. Indeed, clients entrust you with their home, their lifestyle. It is an important part of their intimacy. They often have many questions about the project, so you must be there to reassure them.
There is also trend analysis. I try not to lock myself into current trends. I believe that when people call on you, you must create a decoration for them that is somewhat timeless but with touches of modernity. This modernity being by definition fleeting, the project must be designed to evolve over time at a low cost. This means being able to change tones in small touches; replacing curtains or cushions, for example. It would be a shame if clients found their project outdated or dated after 2 years! Right now, everything is Scandinavian style and light wood. I’m not sure that in a few years people won’t be fed up with it.
Warmth
You have to give a bit of warmth to a room. We can put one or two pieces in a somewhat more minimalist Scandinavian style, for the current trend, which can be changed later. This is fundamental for me.
You must not impose a decoration or layout style on clients. You have to serve them, listen to them, understand how they live in a house or apartment, what the circulation is, who lives there, etc. You don’t decorate a young family’s apartment like that of a single person or a couple. You really have to understand the clients’ lifestyle to adapt to their tastes and needs. Often they don’t really know how to express what they hope for.
We solve their problems by listening and going beyond what they could have imagined. Clients don’t have the imagination and projection I can have in a room. I have a certain spatial analysis, and when I "scan" a room for the first time, many things come to me innately.
Of course, there is a lot of work behind it. You have to listen to the client and know how to guide them toward a project they may not have considered. There is a confrontation of ideas to implement. Then a lot of research. Decoration is meticulous work. You have to find the right materials, objects, and furniture; think about layouts and restructure spaces if necessary. It’s a long-term job. The first analysis of a room is the only easy part; after that, it’s a lot of work.
So for you, the profession must constantly reinvent itself?
Oh yes! Above all, always be attentive to what is being done, the trends, and see what others are doing. We get a lot of inspiration from others’ work by going to fairs like Maison et Objet. Being alert to what is happening, new materials, new types of construction. Even if I’m not an architect, you have to sense the spirit of the times.
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Interview conducted by Clara Didier
Formatted by Coralie Mottu
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