Sea Memory resembles a luxurious flea market. There are as many objects as there are things to please every possible taste. Edouard Lacour and his parents run this cabinet of curiosities, the only boutique of its kind in Saint Barth.
How do you describe your boutique?
“When my parents were in Martinique, they ran a boutique with souvenirs, local crafts, and beachwear. In the late 80s, they fell in love with Saint Barth and decided 10 years later to open a furniture shop that quickly appealed to the island’s clientele. As for me, I was the manager of a luxury leather goods store for four years. Then I decided to work with my parents. Sea Memory opened in 1997. At first, the idea was to sell only objects inspired by the sea (model sailboats, naval-style furniture…). But my father was always interested in furniture and antiques so we developed a line of furniture and accessories for the home. The only thing we were sure of at the beginning was that we wanted to work only with luxury materials.”
Tell us about your style. How do you describe the Sea Memory furniture?
“Our boutique has our original designs, but there are also many objects by Italian, Belgian, French, and Asian artisans. These objects are very cosmopolitan as we cater to a clientele that travels a lot and they do not want to see the same things anyplace else. So we need to be unique and high quality. Of course you will also find the furniture created by my father. He is greatly inspired by Art Déco, while I prefer cleaner, more modern lines, which we infuse with such luxury materials as stingray skin, mother-of-pearl, parchment, bone, or horn.
Another thing that is unique is the use of stingray skin in your designs. Tell us about that.
“The stingray skin (Dasyatis Sephen) comes from Indonesia and is like leather. The French name for it is “galuchat,” which comes from the name of a cabinetmaker for Louis XV in the 18th century, who was the first to use this exceptional material in France. When this skin is tanned, it becomes very resistant and is perfect as a veneer for wood. Along with parchment (goatskin), these are materials that have existed for a long time but are still rather unexploited. They require a special knowledge and they are expensive. But the result is magnificent. Many of our designs are made with stingray skin, and our clients can express their personal preference. From small boxes or cuff links to a large desk, we tailor our work to meet all of our clients’ needs. We also develop leather goods and jewelry with this skin, and like to work with it. Today, we would really like to maintain a spirit of curiosity in the boutique with both unusual accessories and more everyday objects. Their commonality is their originality. But in order to have more things, we’d have to expand the walls of boutique! Something to think about!”
SEA MEMORY
Rue du Roi Oscar II
Gustavia
97133 St Barthélémy
