"A well-used space gives a feeling of freedom".
Jean Fressinet is the son of Barthélémy Fressinet, who taught weaving at the Saint-Étienne vocational school. After studying in his native town, he continued his architectural training at the Beaux-Arts in Lyon. He was then hired as a draftsman at Colcombet rubans et soieries, a major manufacturer in Saint-Etienne before the Great War. He did his military service in the air force and served in the same arm during the war, remaining in the service for seven years. On this occasion, he created the medallion for the stele in honor of fighter pilot Adolphe Pégoud.
In 1920, he moved to Paris and set up the Styléa studio, which produced wallpapers for Le Mardelé and Grantil, furniture designs for various cabinetmakers on the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, including Hirsch and Ets Goumain, decorative projects for public buildings such as the village hall and social center in Mancieulles (Meurthe-et-Moselle), the Carmelite convent in Nogent-sur-Marne, a project for the competition to rebuild the Saint Etienne theater with architect M. Noulin, the Saint-Rambert-sur-Loire war memorial with sculptor Joanny Durand.
He also created decoration projects for private individuals and stores, such as the residence of Bao Daï, still a young man; Sednaoui department stores in Alexandria; the Yendis leather goods store on rue Saint Honoré; hotels, villas and apartments for the Comte de Madre, Max Linder, Spitzer and Docteur Charpentier; Madame Dumay, haute couture milliner; and the Marquise de Crussol.
Alongside his participation in events such as the Exposition des Arts Décoratifs, the Exposition Coloniale Internationale, for which he created a monumental fountain, the 1937 Exposition Universelle and the Salon des Arts Ménagers, he was director of the Duperré School of Applied Arts from 1932 to 1953.