TALKS
Interview with Jony Amour
Jony, an art director and designer based in Lyon, invites us into a world where color becomes emotion and interiors turn into playful, expressive universes. “Color is my language, and interiors are my favorite playgrounds,” she says, summing up nearly 20 years spent crafting vibrant, story-driven spaces. Her creative instinct is guided by intuition and contrasts, allowing her to transform simple environments into what she calls “expressive, joyful, and highly visual universes.”
" I’m Jony, an Art Director and designer based in Lyon. I’ve been working in design, styling, and artistic direction for nearly 20 years, with a passion for creating vibrant, story-driven spaces. Color is my language, and interiors are my favorite playgrounds. My work is driven by intuition, contrasts, and the desire to bring emotion into everyday life. I love transforming simple environments into expressive, joyful, and highly visual universes."
Your apartment in Lyon is a true manifesto of color, pattern, and maximalism. How did you first discover this distinctive style, and what role does “chromatic audacity” play in transforming a simple living space into a work of art?
I’ve always been drawn to bold colors, probably since art school, where I spent hours studying how hues interact, vibrate, and shape atmospheres. Over the years, I naturally gravitated toward maximalism, layering pieces, patterns, and textures like a visual puzzle.
For me, chromatic audacity is not just decorative; it’s a form of expression. A single pop of color can shift the mood of a room, but when you dare to mix them, you create a whole narrative. My home is like an emotional map: every color has a purpose, and every contrast creates movement.
You beautifully combine high-end pieces, thrifted finds and DIY to transform basic pieces into unique furniture. What value does this process of finding, repurposing, and restoring hold for you compared to buying new?
Hunting, repurposing, and creating are essential to my approach. I love pieces with a story, objects that carry time, marks, imperfections. Mixing high-end items with flea-market treasures and DIY gives my home depth and authenticity.
It also feels more sustainable: instead of buying new, I enjoy giving forgotten objects a second life and turning them into something unique. It’s like writing my own visual identity, one piece at a time.
Ziggy armchair beanbag in burgundy blue stripes
Art Directors are masters of visual narrative. What is the overall story or feeling you aim to create when composing a room in your apartment?
Joy, energy, and a playful sense of freedom.
I want each room to feel like a small creative world, immersive, expressive, and a little unexpected. I compose spaces like moodboards: layers, textures, symbolic objects, references to design history, personal memories, and everyday practicality.
My home is a place for living, but also for dreaming.
We see a clear connection between your fashion style and the way you decorate: both are a joyful explosion of color. Do you approach fashion and interior design with the same creative eye?
Absolutely. Fashion and interior design are two expressions of the same instinct for me.
I dress the way I decorate: with intuition, color, and a touch of whimsy. My style is arty, playful, and vintage-inspired, and I treat clothes like elements of a palette. Interiors follow the same logic, mixing shapes, eras, textures, and unexpected accents.
It’s all about telling a colorful story, whether on a body or in a room.
For those who are hesitant to use bold colors and patterns, what is your ultimate tip for injecting a good mood and personality into their décor without feeling overwhelmed?
Start small.
Pick one piece that makes you smile, a cushion, a lamp, a vase, a print, and let it set the tone. Once the first pop of color feels comfortable, add a second element in the same chromatic family.
Good humor in décor comes from intention, not quantity: choose objects that genuinely spark joy, and gradually build your palette from there.
If you had to summarize the philosophy behind your home décor in one word or short phrase, what would it be?
Joyful audacity.
A home often holds the objects that matter most. If you could choose one treasured item from your childhood to keep and display today, which piece would it be, and why does it hold such emotional value?
I would keep my childhood sketchbooks, the first ones where I drew interiors, clothes, and imaginary objects. They remind me of the roots of my creativity, before I even knew what “design” or “art direction” meant.
They’re a reminder of how instinctive creation has always been for me, and still is today.
Ziggy armchair beanbag in burgundy blue stripes
Finally, as an artist based in Lyon, what are three of your favorite places, a vintage market, a unique shop, or a design source, that perfectly capture your colorful, French aesthetic?
Les Puces du Canal – My favorite treasure-hunting spot. You can find everything from Space Age gems to quirky ceramics.
Make My Lemonade (Lyon) – A joyful burst of colors, patterns, and creativity that resonates strongly with my universe.
Maison Craie Craie – A poetic, vibrant concept store with a beautifully curated selection of décor pieces, perfect for discovering unique objects that inspire my home.