Ceramics

In the last ten years, ceramics has made a comeback in the world of design in a wide variety of shapes and colors. The creation of tables, vases, jewelry boxes, and many other types of objects put to the test one of the most appreciated materials of contemporary designers, and this, for our greatest pleasure.

From the Greek word " Kéramos", ceramics designates a whole family of materials and diversely complex amalgams such as earthenware, porcelain, or stoneware, all made from clay and to which are sometimes added different mineral components, whose function is to play with their resistance and colors.

With a long history in modern Western culture as well as in many other Far Eastern countries such as China and Japan, this most ancient of the “arts du feu” (fire arts), which appeared in late prehistoric times, continues to mark our daily lives.

A material dear to Henri Matisse, the ceramics which compose our pieces are designed to stand the test of time in the image of the artist's work. Thus, the creation of our permanent La Musique and Intérieur aux Aubergines collections has been entrusted to two Italian artisanal workshops that are testaments to the excellence found on the other side of the Alps, each chosen for their ancestral know-how, which has been passed on through many generations and which only a few craftsmen still possess today. Our pieces are thus cherished and kept, transmitted through generations like the work of Henri Matisse.

After being cast and unmolded, the pieces undergo diverse manual operations and multiple firings before being completed and placed in their cases. Our tableware pieces have their design applied to the biscuit between two firings according to the "Spolvero" technique, and their decorations are painted by hand. Only the dessert plates are engraved with a metal tip.

Our boxes are painted with an airbrush, a tool used for high precision work, and then finished by hand with a brush. Finally, the tops of our coffee tables are also crafted by hand in the same way and with the same high standards. After their first firing, they are painted with a slip and fired once more to fix the color.

We decided to turn to ceramics for the creation of our pieces because this material conveys the artistic character of Matisse. Each material carries its own set of connotations, so the selection of a material with such a finely distinguished manufacturing process was an obvious one.

Ceramics offer numerous advantages that have attracted designers as well as pure ceramists. Thanks to being fired at very high temperatures, its incredible resistance to shocks and heat allows it to be used for everyday products without fear that they will break or age badly. Furniture, decorative objects, and coverings are thus enthroned in our homes as if frozen in time. Very easy to maintain, ceramic is hydrophobic; this means it resists staining and only requires wiping with a damp cloth to restore its shine.

This return to ancestral materials, including ceramics, is explained by the desire of contemporary designers to create their objects using a more responsible approach, which goes hand in hand with craftwork. Although modern technologies have profoundly changed our production methods, a return to our origins has begun: handcrafting is indeed a method that takes us back to a world of simplicity, a return to the values of our ancestors.

Thanks to ever more refined manufacturing processes, ceramics can be brought to life according to your own desires; whether tinted or decorated with motifs, elegantly refined or more sophisticated, they allow designers to propose pieces with a strong and unique character.

Gradually winning over the hearts of the younger generations who are sensitive to the world of craftsmanship and handmade products, ceramics are once again shaping our interiors with its authenticity and natural warmth.

Given expression according to each designer's own style, ceramics offer the possibility of creating a unique decorative universe, a signature that will stand the test of time. Sometimes possessing an irregular nature, it allows the ceramist’s work to shine through in each of our pieces by highlighting the lines of his or her hand, like an ultimate charm that cannot be taken away.