Ferronnerie

Paris has some wonderful ironwork, and not just the decorative sort. Look beyond the elegant balconies and elaborate gates, and there’s another world of metalwork holding the city together. Metro bridges, railway structures and those great riveted beams have a character all of their own.

Ferronnerie takes its inspiration from that slightly more industrial side of Paris. I’ve always liked the way structural ironwork can be so practical and yet so decorative. The bridges carrying the Metro above the streets are particularly interesting, with their exposed supports and wonderfully confident geometry.

There’s a little Art Deco in the mix too. Those great American skyscrapers took structural ideas and turned them into a whole architectural language. Strong vertical lines, stepped forms and geometric ornament all became part of the excitement of building upwards.

A Parisian Metro bridge and a Manhattan skyscraper might seem worlds apart, but they share an enthusiasm for structure. Both find beauty in the way things connect and support one another.

Ferronnerie borrows a little from each, although the French influence probably wins out. There’s something about the rhythm of those bridges, with their repeated ironwork and sense of engineering confidence.

It’s a pattern with quite an architectural personality, but also a decorative one. Rather like the ironwork that inspired it, the distinction between the two becomes wonderfully blurred.

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