Why did you choose your profession?
I was born in Versailles, and my mother took me for walks in the Versailles gardens. As the story goes, I pointed at the castle and said, “That’s what I will do.” And I love the work. Being able to transform an idea into something tangible is pure magic.
What do you love most about your work?
I love all the different phases: discussions with the client, the research, the moment of production when the idea finally becomes tangible, and also, of course, that special period of time spent finalising by hand all the small details.
© Etienne Rayssac
How do you conduct your research?
I’m so lucky to be in Paris, first of all with its wealth of libraries and monuments, which I use a lot for my research. And I also have an immense library of my own on interior design, books on styles and creators. I use all the resources I can.
What advice would you give younger artisans?
Get as much training and as many skills as you can. I’m still training. The challenge in our field is that it’s not one craft but five or six. So keep studying and training: drawing, modelling, woodcutting, knowledge of materials. An artisan needs a complete toolkit.