What makes people pay attention to a fabric house founded in 1935, in a world full of fast trends and louder brands?

In this bonus episode of Compelling, host Katy Wellesley Wesley speaks with Patrick Frey of Maison Pierre Frey about why authenticity, roots, and a tangible connection to history still carry real weight with clients around the world. Patrick explains how provenance can feel almost sacred to buyers, and why the creative challenge begins after acquisition: adapting heritage through colour, taste, and modern creation without losing the soul of what you own.

Patrick Frey: Patrick Frey is the Creative Director and President Emeritus of La Maison Pierre Frey, the Paris-based family house founded in 1935 and known worldwide for fabrics, wallpapers, rugs, carpets, and furniture of the highest quality and most refined taste. He became artistic director in 1969 and expanded the company’s global reach while keeping a strong commitment to craft, quality and design-led experimentation.

Visit Pierre Frey

Katy Wellesley Wesley: With over 18 years of leadership across galleries, foundations, and startups, Katy has built a career shaped by curiosity and a drive to explore new ideas. She spent a decade at leading commercial galleries—first at Gagosian, then at Pace, where she was Director of Exhibitions in London. She went on to lead the Villa Lena Foundation in Italy as Director, before joining the founding team of ROKBOX, a pioneering environmentally focused art logistics startup, as Sales Director. After relocating to Paris six years ago, Katy developed a strong interest in the intersection of art and luxury. To deepen this focus, she recently completed an Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Design Innovation, a joint program between ESSEC Business School and Parsons School of Design. She now works as a consultant to brands, artists, foundations, and collectors. Among her clients is the legendary art publisher Cahiers d’Art, where she heads Commercial Partnerships.

Compelling is proudly in partnership with Cahiers d’Art.

Compelling is produced in collaboration with Cahiers d’Art, the iconic Paris-based art publisher founded in 1926, home of the Catalogue Raisonné of Picasso and most recently the Frank Gehry Drawings Catalogue Raisonné. At the heart of it's publishing program is the Cahiers d'Art Revue, one of the most significant and longest-standing annual art publications of the last century. In 2026, Cahiers d’Art will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a series of major publications, projects and exhibitions in collaboration with leading global institutions, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the MoMA in New York City and the Musée Picasso in Paris.

Visit Cahiers d’Art

Art direction by Eddie Harrop Studio
Website and Production by Story Ninety-Four

What does it take to protect a legacy?

In this episode of Compelling, host Katy Wellesley Wesley speaks with Patrick Frey, Creative Director and President Emeritus of La Maison Pierre Frey, about the unpredictable, joyful mystery of creation. Patrick shares how he grew up learning to see: travelling through Europe with his interior‑designer mother, absorbing architecture, landscapes, and museums, and developing an instinct for beauty that later shaped a global design house.

They explore how a company rooted in 1935 Paris remains nimble and continues to surprise: making decisive creative calls with instinct, thinking globally and looking back at heritage design as well as thinking about innovation. Patrick discusses the continuation of the business as control passes to the third generation, the importance of stopping to really look, and why there is no reliable formula for what becomes a bestseller.

• (00:00) - Welcome to Compelling
• (00:56) - Introducing Patrick Frey and Maison Pierre Frey
• (02:58) - Founding Pierre Frey and the Early Export Mindset
• (04:40) - Learning to See: Travel, Architecture, and Taste
• (07:22) - Apprenticeship and Starting From Scratch in the US
• (09:27) - Leadership, Succession, and Working With Family
• (12:16) - Export, National Style, and Growing Beyond France
• (17:15) - Heritage as Fuel for Modern Creation
• (19:30) - Why You Never Know What Will Sell
• (24:00) - Inspiration, Streets, and Staying Open to the World
• (31:00) - The Future of Interiors

Patrick Frey: Patrick Frey is the Creative Director and President Emeritus of La Maison Pierre Frey, the Paris-based family house founded in 1935 and known worldwide for fabrics, wallpapers, rugs, carpets, and furniture of the highest quality and most refined taste. He became artistic director in 1969 and expanded the company’s global reach while keeping a strong commitment to craft, quality and design-led experimentation.

Visit Pierre Frey

Katy Wellesley Wesley: With over 18 years of leadership across galleries, foundations, and startups, Katy has built a career shaped by curiosity and a drive to explore new ideas. She spent a decade at leading commercial galleries—first at Gagosian, then at Pace, where she was Director of Exhibitions in London. She went on to lead the Villa Lena Foundation in Italy as Director, before joining the founding team of ROKBOX, a pioneering environmentally focused art logistics startup, as Sales Director. After relocating to Paris six years ago, Katy developed a strong interest in the intersection of art and luxury. To deepen this focus, she recently completed an Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Design Innovation, a joint program between ESSEC Business School and Parsons School of Design. She now works as a consultant to brands, artists, foundations, and collectors. Among her clients is the legendary art publisher Cahiers d’Art, where she heads Commercial Partnerships.

Compelling is proudly in partnership with Cahiers d’Art.

Compelling is produced in collaboration with Cahiers d’Art, the iconic Paris-based art publisher founded in 1926, home of the Catalogue Raisonné of Picasso and most recently the Frank Gehry Drawings Catalogue Raisonné. At the heart of it's publishing program is the Cahiers d'Art Revue, one of the most significant and longest-standing annual art publications of the last century. In 2026, Cahiers d’Art will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a series of major publications, projects and exhibitions in collaboration with leading global institutions, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the MoMA in New York City and the Musée Picasso in Paris.

Visit Cahiers d’Art

Art direction by Eddie Harrop Studio
Website and Production by Story Ninety-Four

In memory of Martin Parr (23 May 1952 - 6 December 2025). This interview was recorded before his death.

How does a chance encounter on a doorstep evolve into one of the most compelling collaborations?

In this bonus episode of Compelling, we go behind the scenes with Lee Shulman on a year-long filmmaking journey that saw Lee kidnap the legendary Martin Parr to revisit the locations of his early career. We explore the making of I am Martin Parr and the book Deja Vu, uncovering the raw, sometimes brutal honesty that defines their friendship.

Lee Shulman: Lee Shulman is the Founder and Creative Director of The Anonymous Project, containing nearly a million Kodachrome slides. A London-born, Paris-based visual artist and award-winning filmmaker, his expertise lies in curating and recontextualising amateur photography through immersive installations, books, and collaborative art projects. His recent work includes the collaboration Being There with Omar Victor Diop and directing the documentary film I Am Martin Parr.

Visit the Anonymous Project

Katy Wellesley Wesley: With over 18 years of leadership across galleries, foundations, and startups, Katy has built a career shaped by curiosity and a drive to explore new ideas. She spent a decade at leading commercial galleries—first at Gagosian, then at Pace, where she was Director of Exhibitions in London. She went on to lead the Villa Lena Foundation in Italy as Director, before joining the founding team of ROKBOX, a pioneering environmentally focused art logistics startup, as Sales Director. After relocating to Paris six years ago, Katy developed a strong interest in the intersection of art and luxury. To deepen this focus, she recently completed an Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Design Innovation, a joint program between ESSEC Business School and Parsons School of Design. She now works as a consultant to brands, artists, foundations, and collectors. Among her clients is the legendary art publisher Cahiers d’Art, where she heads Commercial Partnerships.

Compelling is proudly in partnership with Cahiers d’Art.

Compelling is produced in collaboration with Cahiers d’Art, the iconic Paris-based art publisher founded in 1926, home of the Catalogue Raisonné of Picasso and most recently the Frank Gehry Drawings Catalogue Raisonné. At the heart of it's publishing program is the Cahiers d'Art Revue, one of the most significant and longest-standing annual art publications of the last century. In 2026, Cahiers d’Art will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a series of major publications, projects and exhibitions in collaboration with leading global institutions, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the MoMA in New York City and the Musée Picasso in Paris.

Visit Cahiers d’Art

Art direction by Eddie Harrop Studio
Website and Production by Story Ninety-Four