In the world of Valentine Richardson, decorator and set designer

Can you introduce yourself in a few words?

My name is Valentine Richardson, Julien's beloved, and mother of Charlie and Orso. I am an interior decorator and set designer. I spent twelve years in fashion in Paris before returning to Lille, where I created Room Service, then Room Service Studio.

How would you define your profession today?

I design spaces as a whole. For the interior decoration part, this ranges from materials to colors, including furniture, objects, and all the small details that create coherence. And for the set design part, I especially like to bring in those details that will make a difference visually. The small object, the right material, the color that awakens the whole... These are often quite simple things, but they can completely change an image.

What led you to artistic direction and the creation of universes?

Chance... although, honestly, I don't really believe in it. None of this was truly planned. When I arrived in Lille, I was in a somewhat vague period, without a very clear direction. I started hunting for objects, staging them in photos with my sister Diane, in artistic direction, and with my photographer friend Justine Buseyne.

That's how Room Service was born, without a real plan, but with the desire to create beauty. Then, projects followed quite naturally. A first restaurant, then another... and little by little, it became my daily life.

Today, I mostly feel like I've found my place.

Portrait in my bedroom, also my office
Photo by Victoria Nossent

Your work is guided by a sense of detail. Where does this sensitivity come from?

I think I'm naturally very observant. I can be stopped by a doorknob, a light, an old poster, a color combination in the street... I also think my years in fashion taught me a lot about looking at details. They are often what give character to a whole.

Our kitchen, with my QUIMPER yellow
Paint collection I created with Atmosphère
Photo by Victoria Nossent

What do you think makes an object, a place, or an image evoke a particular emotion?

I have no idea! I am a very sensitive person; I can be moved by nothing. I realize that this is not the case for everyone, and that's precisely what fascinates me. When I decorate a place or imagine an image, my goal is to provoke something in the person who looks at it. Even a tiny emotion. If someone enters a place I designed and feels something, then I tell myself my mission is successful.

Jean Jacques Rousseau project I decorated
Photo by Julien Richardson - Chaleur Production

Where do you find daily inspiration?

A little everywhere, and especially where I'm not looking for it. In the street, travels, restaurants, flea markets, books, exhibitions, films, clothes... I also pay close attention to everyday details. A color combination spotted in a shop window can sometimes become the starting point of a project.

Decorations sourced for the FADA restaurant that I decorated

Shop window I decorated for an event
Photo by Marine Lazarus

Is there a material, a color, or a place you always return to?

Green and wood. I don't think I ever tire of them. Green because it can be both very soft and very present, and wood for its warmth and vibrant quality. Together, they almost always work.

Your job requires a lot of creativity. How do you take care of yourself daily?

Above all, I try to make room for emptiness. In a profession where you are constantly solicited and expected to have ideas, doing nothing is ultimately very precious. Walking, having coffee alone, looking around me, spending time with my family... These are simple moments, but they allow me to regain energy and, most importantly, to remain curious.

Room Service Editorial - Shellfish and Crustaceans
Photo by Justine Buseyne

What does your skincare ritual look like?

I'm quite simple and consistent with my routine. I like to take a few minutes in the morning and evening to take care of my skin, but also to slow down a bit.

In the evening, I start with a double cleanse, then I apply a mist of water, the Alaena serum, the Eye contour treatment, and finally the Sensitive skin moisturizing cream. It's become a real little ritual, almost a transition between the day and the moment I can finally switch off.

Once or twice a week, I add the Fruit acid peel then the Intense Hydration Mask.

I like these moments when I take a little more time, without necessarily doing much more.

Alaena at home

What do you primarily look for in a skincare product?

Softness. I like products that make you want to take care of yourself, with beautiful textures, pleasant scents, and true sensoriality. And I'm increasingly attentive to what I put on my skin and how products are made.

How did you discover Alaena?

I discovered it when you arrived at Printemps de Lille. I had the chance to try a treatment and your products. I immediately felt that it matched what I was looking for: effective, simple, natural, aesthetic, but with a real demand behind it.

You wrote to us: "You are really just the right brand for my skin." What gave you that feeling?

My skin is like me: very sensitive. I immediately felt a sensation of softness and richness with your products. I think it's the balance between efficacy and simplicity. I don't want a bathroom full of products (my husband will laugh at that phrase); I want to stick to what feels good and suits me.

I like things that are right, well-thought-out, and meaningful. And with Alaena, I found that demanding quality, plus a real attention to ingredients and living things.

Vacation with Alaena

If you had to introduce someone to just one Alaena product, which would you choose and why?

I would choose the Sensitive Skin Moisturizing Cream. It's the one I most naturally use in my routine and the one that truly gives me the feeling of caring for my skin, rather than just applying a product.

At Alaena, we place living things at the heart of our approach. Does this vision resonate with how you create or view the world?

Yes, very much. In my work, I try not to create universes that are too fixed or too perfect. I like what is alive, what evolves, what retains a part of the unexpected. I work extensively with natural materials, old objects, and the traces of time. For me, a place should be able to be lived in, evolve, and tell a story about those who live there.

What is the last thing you learned that changed your perspective?

That not everything needs to be perfect to be successful. I think I forgot that for a long time, especially in my work. Today, I try to leave more room for accidents, for the unexpected, for things that aren't exactly as I imagined them. That's often where the most interesting things are born.