For the past few years, Scandinavian-inspired minimalism has dominated interior design, with its clean lines and neutral tones. The Parisian creative studio Colortherapis takes a stand against this trend. Its founder, Lavinia Augeai, champions a bold, colorful, and graphic aesthetic.
The story of Colortherapis was born from a personal ordeal: after the sudden loss of her first child, Matisse, Lavinia Augeai chose to interrupt her career as an international buyer to turn to design, which she had always been passionate about, in order to give meaning back to her life.
A self-taught designer from Transylvania, she launched her business without formal training, guided by her artistic influences: the Bauhaus, the Memphis movement, and Fauvism. Her very first creation, a graphic and colorful rug with asymmetrical shapes, was a departure from the dominant minimalism in interior design. Encouraged by the trust of her first clients and the support of her husband, Cyril, she founded Colortherapis.
At Colortherapis, color is the starting point for every project. Lavinia Augeai works with a variety of media—rugs, cushions, lighting, seating, tables—each becoming a canvas for expression. Every piece begins with a sketch, lines, and colors laid down to give rise to an idea. The collections are not seasonal: only the designer's inspiration dictates the production process.
This creative freedom is particularly evident in the rugs. Some feature organic silhouettes reminiscent of Henri Matisse's cutouts; others play on more geometric patterns: checkerboards, color blocks, multicolored polka dots. Each piece makes a strong visual statement. The patterned cushions extend this same graphic exploration.
This vision remains inextricably linked to demanding craftsmanship. The rugs are made by a family of artisans in the Varanasi region of India, who have been perpetuating the tufting tradition for over sixty years. The wool is dyed and then sun-dried before the threads are inserted by hand through a stretched canvas to create the desired design. Each rug requires several days of work. The furniture and decorative objects, on the other hand, are made in Europe, adhering to the same high standards of quality.
Colortherapis incorporates part of its production into an upcycling logic: cushion covers are made from wool scraps from carpet manufacturing, while decorative objects incorporate reclaimed materials.
For dyeing, the creative studio prioritizes plant-based dyes, extracted from certain spices or flowers, whenever possible. High-quality materials are carefully selected for their durability: New Zealand wool for rugs and cushions, solid wood for seating.
Beyond its collections, Colortherapis also offers to support individuals and professionals in tailor-made projects: color, size and materials are fully customizable, in order to create unique pieces.
Colortherapis Showroom
7, rue Guy-Moquet, Paris 17th
