IN HIS NEW COLLABORATION WITH BRUNSCHWIG & FILS, LIFESTYLE, FASHION AND FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER NICK MELE SOURCED CLOSE TO HOME TO CREATE A FANTASTIC WORLD OF WHIMSY.

Mele poses with his family around a dining room table draped in the Kanchou print in sand. PHOTO COURTESY OF NICK MELE

Another eccentric scene is found in the Beauport Promenade pattern in forest juxtaposed with the Cascade print in teal-green. PHOTO COURTESY OF NICK MELE

“I think my family has enough of me at times,” laughs Palm Beach-based photographer Nick Mele. Anyone familiar with Mele’s work knows his wife and two sons are typically a part of the organized chaos that unfolds in front of his lens in some of the world’s most luxurious and iconic spaces. At the heart of his work is his love of capturing interiors and the fabulous characters that inhabit them. This fact makes his recent collaboration with Brunschwig & Fils even more fitting. Launched in July, the “La Menagerie” Collection features six archival designs revitalized with fresh color schemes and three remarkable new printed fabrics, wallpapers, and embroidered patterns. In tandem with the launch, Mele enlisted his longtime friend and collaborator Danielle Rollins to transform a few rooms in his Palm Beach home utilizing the new collection. “Ideally, any time you choose to work with an interior designer, it’s a collaborative process. We picked Danielle Rollins, not only because she is talented, but because she understands our aesthetic and the style we were hoping to achieve,” says Mele. “She had a vision based on the wallpapers and fabrics to which we were drawn and the knowledge that we wanted a modern take on the chintzy, chinoiserie-filled homes of our parents and grandparents. From a photographic standpoint, I brainstormed with the team at Kravet to create all the scenes we ended up shooting. We were always on the same page creatively, and they encouraged me to go wild.” The result was fanciful, bright spaces with a fresh and modern appeal—and a giraffe or two. “[This] collection was always meant to be playful. There is a sense of whimsy to it that aligns very well with my sensibilities as a storyteller,” says Mele. “Since this is our actual home, it made sense to use my family as models and, since the collection is called ‘La Menagerie,’ to incorporate all manner of animals as well.” Mele loved incorporating his personal home within the new collection’s campaign. Says Mele, “I have spent so much time creating wildly eccentric scenes in other people’s spaces; it was a joy to start from scratch and build a world that spoke uniquely to me and my family.” And to that, we say, “Brava!” 351 Peachtree Hill Ave., Ste. 106, kravet.com/brunschwig-fils