5 Questions with Elise Pioch Balzac

1. You grew up in France but built your life in Australia. What's one entertaining ritual each country does especially well, and one you wish the other would adopt?

I feel so lucky to have two countries at the core of who I am but it is funny to realise how far apart they are (geographically and culturally)! In France, a great ritual would be “aperitif”: a 6pm gathering where you have a glass of wine or a local drink (pastis, muscat…) with a selection of dainty snacks presented in beautiful vessels. In Australia a classic way to entertain is to meet outdoors (on the beach, in a park) and every guest brings something, mainly drinks!

2. Your latest collection was inspired by Surrealism. If it had a soundtrack, what would be playing in the background?

 The soundtrack would have Eric Satie’s 3 Gymnopedies, Claude Debussy’s Prelude a l’apres midi d’un faune, Ravel’s Bolero followed by Fugazi, Andrew Oldham Orchestra’s The Last Time, Quantic’s Time is the enemy, and finish with Lalo’s Schifrin’s Danube Incident.

3. You've been to some extraordinary gatherings recently. What's one hosting touch you've experienced that you've wanted to borrow for your own table?

 Recently I’ve been to a dinner party where the host had prepared a complex and delicious cocktail for each guest to have on arrival. It was based on the theme of the night (medieval romantic) and really blew me away. It would have taken a long time to research and assemble - I thought it showed a great amount of care and imagination!

4. What's inspiring you right now? 

At the moment my mind is entirely devoted to The Mediterranean and especially to the south of France and North of Spain. I am about to spend 5 weeks there to get inspired for our 2027 collections… I am obsessed with the artist Jean Lurcat, La Colombe d’Or Hotel, the city of Marseille and Atelier Vime. 

5. What's one entertaining "rule" you happily ignore?

“Keep the table setting simple”. I can never do that! I actually set the table 24 hours before guests arrive and I tell a story by making it a little theatrical and dreamy, always….