Grand Illusions

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"Rather than floating in a sea of white space, the objects have the dignity of a sense of place," says interior designer Juan Pablo Molyneux, who created dramatic backdrops for the Sotheby's auction of art and antiques from Ariane Dandois's celebrated shop in Paris. Trellises printed on fabric complement two sets of 1950s garden furniture by Mathieu Matégot.

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A 19th-century painting signed by Girardot is displayed near a pair of German commodes.

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"The playfulness of the installation offsets the solemnity of the pieces," notes Molyneux. Using high-resolution, large-scale photography, he designed a surreal space enveloped by Piranesi's famous 18th-century engravings Imaginary Prisons. The 14 early-19th-century chairs are Swedish.

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The Hermitage inspired another suite of spaces. An image of the main stair's top balcony sets the scene for an Empire papier-mâché portico clock, a circa 1780 Russian marquetry commode and a pair of circa 1800 Swedish console tables and mirrors.

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A trompe l'oeil screen of the Hermitage's main staircase offers a formal setting for a pair of 1830s Italian armchairs.

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"I plotted the placement of the major pieces," Molyneux explains, "but the smaller pieces and objets d'art I arranged on-site." For a collection of furniture that includes a circa 1800 Russian fall-front secrétaire and a set of circa 1815 gilt side chairs after Italian architect Lorenzo Nottolini, Molyneux evoked the Hermitage's Armorial Hall "in winter."