You often draw inspiration from your native Provence (France). How do the cultural and natural landscapes of the region influence your creative process?
I have been fortunate to work on projects deeply rooted in my native Provence, the land where I grew up and where I learned to appreciate the beauty of simple, well-crafted things that speak to humanity. There, I built a network of trust with artisans and companies, and together we work hand in hand.
As a designer, my approach is to connect each project to its territory, no matter where it is located. This is a way to highlight local resources, anchor the aesthetics in the identity of the place, and give meaning to the journey. My contemporary style is always inspired by the specificities of a territory. It is also a way to create deep connections while ensuring that each creation interacts with its environment, rooted in a local economy and telling the story of the place.
The use of marine rope and digitally milled beech in your Riviera chair creates a unique dialogue between materials. How do you identify materials that work well together?
The Riviera chair wasn’t born from a commission but from an idea that has been simmering for a long time. With time as an ally, I explored different materials and tested combinations in my notebooks and prototypes. Today, beech has become the material of choice, partly due to the proximity of a carpenter with whom I work in a short supply chain. However, the chair could just as well be made from other woods, as long as they meet the project’s expectations.
In your collaboration with Ulysse Nardin, you reinterpreted a marine chronometer using modern technologies. How did you approach the balance between historical significance and cutting-edge design?
To celebrate Ulysse Nardin’s 175th anniversary, it was important not just to recreate the past but to reinvent it. I proposed my vision of the marine chronometer, freed from the size constraints of a wristwatch, allowing me to reveal the complexity of its movement in an exploded view.
The original gyroscope was replaced by a "culbuto," a new approach to balance. I designed this object to captivate a clientele that, deep down, retains a childlike wonder, fascinated by playful and ingenious objects.
In your work with parametric design, as seen in the Gaia vase, how do you ensure that the complexity of algorithmically generated forms is balanced with the practical limits of the slip-casting process?
For the Gaia vase, collaboration with the pottery workshop "Les 3 Terres" was essential. Their expertise in handling clay and moulding techniques allowed these complex forms to come to life. Thanks to this synergy, challenges were overcome with relative ease. Once again, time and experimentation are essential.
For the Gaia vase project, you incorporated local clay from Salernes into the slip-casting process. How did you determine the rheological properties of the slip and ensure consistency in the casting process?
The clay from Salernes, traditionally used for making tiles, wasn’t initially intended for slip-casting.
However, by experimenting with the team at "Les 3 Terres," we found the right recipe—simple and authentic: a blend of raw clay and water, carefully sieved to achieve a result that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
The process of re-burning wood, as seen in the Maures’s forets project, can dramatically alter the material’s surface characteristics. How do you manage the adhesion and bonding of the surface when applying finishes or additional treatments to a charred wood surface?
The Maures’s forest project was born after the forest fires of August 2021, a personal endeavour that led me to experiment with burnt wood.
This material, even after its demise, continues to live and react differently depending on the species and environmental conditions.
Each piece of wood is unique, requiring special attention when working with it to extend its second life. That is what I am currently focusing on with this project.
Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has an incredibly dense matrix. When incorporating this material into designs like the Herige table, how do you approach integrating other materials, such as wood?
In this project, the goal was to showcase the synergy between the distinct expertise of several companies.
By collaborating with artisans from each entity, we overcame technical constraints by integrating a hidden metal structure to ensure the table's stability and durability.
Wood and concrete are not simply used as veneers but as structural components that serve the project.
What are some upcoming projects using innovative materials that you can share with us?
I’ve just completed a desk for a private client, designed using an innovative, environmentally friendly composite material. This composite, a sandwich of local granite and carbon fibre, combines the robustness of stone with the lightness of carbon, offering an elegant and contemporary finish. It demonstrates how technology and nature can harmoniously merge to reduce environmental impact while creating exceptional pieces.
