As images of her Rue Cambon apartment attest, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel loved a great interior design detail as much as she adored little black dresses and layered ropes of pearls. The fashion designer’s passion for decorating was an inspiration for architect Peter Marino when he unveiled Chanel’s Fifth Avenue jewelry flagship last year; the space features hand-painted, coromandel-style lacquer walls, a nod to the screens in Coco’s Paris home. Another Chanel hallmark, the quilt motif, adorns not the walls of a boutique but Coco Crush, a line of versatile fine jewelry pieces marked with incisions that mimic the cushioning of Chanel’s classic handbags.
Inspired by the horse blankets and stable jackets she saw during her love affair with equestrian Etienne Balsan, the matelassé technique finds its most precious expression in new Coco Crush rings, bangles, and cuffs set with diamonds along the vertical lines of the quilted weave. Fabricated with an innovative new pavé setting technique, the collection has a playful interpretation of the house codes that lends itself to mixing and matching—perhaps with your own bags and jackets, stable-bound or not. Ten years on from its first iteration, Coco Crush continues to be as elegant—and effortless—as ever. How’s that for a love story?
This story originally appeared in the April 2025 issue of Elle Decor. SUBSCRIBE
Sean Santiago is ELLE Decor’s Deputy Editor, covering news, trends and talents in interior design, hospitality and travel, culture, and luxury shopping. Since starting his career at an interior design firm in 2011, he has gone on to cover the industry for Vogue, Architectural Digest, Sight Unseen, PIN-UP and Domino. He is the author of The Lonny Home (Weldon Owens, 2018), has produced scripted social content for brands including West Elm and Streeteasy, and is sometimes recognized on the street for his Instagram Reels series, #DanceToDecor
