You might catch Claire Perini on any given afternoon gliding through her Surry Hills showroom - a sanctuary of vintage vignettes where each corner hums with the warmth of another life, another time.
Lean in and listen to Claire Perini, you’ll hear her telling tales of fabulous French art collectors, of old Italian ceramicists, of those who shaped these storied objects that now rest in the soft embrace of Composition showroom’s walls.
Composition is a living, breathing salon with love letters to the romance of rediscovery.
Claire, with her signature joie de vivre, drifts through it all, laughing, storytelling, matching new owners to old treasures as if it were always meant to be. She understands, perhaps better than anyone, that a piece of furniture is never just an object. It’s a memory, a secret, a patina of years and nights well-lived.
Retrouvailles – A Reunion With What We Love
The walls of Composition are lined with her Retrouvailles collection: a homecoming of mementos rehomed after four grand tours through Morocco, Italy, France and the Netherlands.
Each piece, from the early 1900s to mid-century gems, carries the joyful spirit of retrouvailles, the French word for reuniting after long separation. And indeed, every shelf, table and artful corner is a reunion with forgotten stories.
Claire says it best herself: “Retrouvailles conjures the faded elegance of colonial salons, treasures gathered from far-flung places, every corner telling a tale from corners of the globe.”
It is warm like the sun outside a Tuscan villa, martini in hand, shadows of palms flickering over a book you know you’ll never finish because conversation and laughter are far more interesting.
A Cast of Cult Classics
Inside the Surry Hills salon, the showpieces lounge as if they’ve always belonged together, a theatre set dressed for a late-night soiree.
FD164 Lounge Chair
Arne Vodder for France & Son, c.1960 Denmark
RRP $7,990
Solid teak, soft curves, adjustable in three positions, the perfect throne for a languid afternoon.
Fauteuil One-Of-A-Kind Armchair
Viggo Boesen for Slagelse Møbelvaerk, c.1940 Denmark
RRP $32,000
A Nordic gem, rare, furred, and impossibly inviting. Claire calls it her ‘little Funkis dream’.
2-Seater Togo Sofa
Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset, c.1970’s Italy
RRP $9,070 each
The cult classic, all slump and swagger, in tobacco leather, inviting you to sink in and stay a while.
‘Can Can’ Modular Sofa
Luciano Frigerio, c.1970 Italy
RRP $48,000
Wrapped in deep green velvet, its spine-back design feels sculptural yet soft, a Fellini film turned inside out.
Each piece is more than its silhouette, it’s the gentle nicks on the legs, the patina of years, the thought that someone, somewhere, once lay sprawled across its cushions reading Proust or smoking a last cigarette.
A Night Inside Studio 54, Surry Hills
When Retrouvailles launched, the studio felt like a portal into another era, a hidden door at the back of Studio 54, flickering candlelight casting long shadows over modular ‘70s sofas and theatrical drapes. Olympus Dining scattered oysters and martinis like confetti. Designer ashtrays glowed in the half-dark.
The air hummed with secrets – the hush of those in the know.
Guests perched on the Luciano Frigerio velvet, legs tucked under. Conversations drifted like smoke. You could imagine Cher slipping through the door at any moment, or Warhol propped in the corner, doodling on a napkin.
It was, as Claire says, “the warmth an object can inspire, the way we can return and relax when surrounded by the things we love.”
From Far-Flung Markets to Surry Hills
Behind the treasures is Claire, half historian, half hunter, equal parts dreamer and doer.
She speaks of her sourcing trips as pilgrimages: long days lost in souks, centuries-old stalls in Paris, or hidden ateliers in Italy where ceramicists still spin clay in the shadows. “I believe you should truly be in love with the piece you bring into your home,” she says.
Next up? New adventures to Egypt, Central Africa, Portugal, and Spain, perhaps even a guided sourcing tour for curious collectors ready to rummage through flea markets with a glass of wine in hand.
Always, it’s about conscious collecting: patina over perfection, memories over mass production.
Irreverence on a Shelf
Composition is a place where icons live side by side with things that make you smile in secret.
There’s the Perrier Jouët Ashtray (RRP $390), a relic of late-night toasts. A cheeky cap emblazoned with ‘Biggest Slut in the Antique Shop’ (RRP $60) sits next to a neat row of sculptural toothbrushes. A Brass Oyster Incense Holder (RRP $80) smoulders quietly, perfuming the space like a seaside salon.
The smaller pieces feel like mischievous nods, reminders that great design doesn’t always take itself so seriously. It is here, in these tiny moments, that Composition’s magic shines brightest.
A Living Room for the Curious
Today, Composition is more than a showroom, it’s a place where jazz nights, intimate dinners and secret soirees bubble up under the candlelight. A place for conversations that last until the wax pools on terracotta tiles. Claire dreams of poolside towels, outdoor furniture, even a speed dating night, because as she puts it, “We single.”
And when you visit? You don’t just shop, you inherit a piece of the story. You become part of a community of collectors, dreamers, and mischief-makers who know that an ashtray is never just an ashtray, it’s a little promise that somewhere, once, the night went on forever.
