8 French craftswomen raising the design bar in Paris – SO CRAFT exhibition @ Maison&Objet 2020 – Photo by ©AETHION, courtesy of M&O.

Women & Design – Elizabeth Leriche curates the SO CRAFT exhibition At Maison & Objet 2020 highlighting the works of Ateliers d’Art de France. Behind delicate, lightweight, white voile panels a rich selection of contemplative objects shine. We have selected 8 designs by French craftswomen showing their exquisite way of metamorphosing materials through craftsmanship.

• RELATED STORIES: read more about MAISON&OBJET 2020 on Archipanic…

“The SO CRAFT installation is like a blank page.” explains Elizabeth Leriche. “I wanted to focus on the essence of each object as well as the process that brings it to life. This opens up a dialogue between the material and the time dedicated to crafting it, between the final creative production and the visitor.” 

Angèle Riguidel crafts quirky lighting designs by dismantling, recycling, diverting and reassembling. Her ‘creatures’ are a puzzle of unusual elements “giving another life, a last chance, to objects that have been thrown away, abandoned, that have no place in our society.” The poetry from these objects plunges back into childhood, challenges, amuses and moves.

Angele Riguidel’s design.

Arts de Fronze / Cécile Gasc showcases porcelain tableware with a minimalist, sober and natural feel. Her ultimate tableware collection comprises handmade enameled ceramic cups and plates which come in matt white and matte black.

Arts De Fronze-Cécile De Gasc’s design.

Atelier Terres D’Angely by Isabelle Nadeau presents Berlingo, a collection of porcelain bottles and vessels, all raw on the outside and enameled on the inside. The tableware features “colourful stripes on a plain white background recalling the colored pencils of our childhood”.

Atelier Terres D’Angely’s design.

Glassblowing artist Florence Lemoine enjoys playing with transparency and opacity to trigger confusion between senses and matter. Her sculptural lighting fixtures bring forward a distinct architectural attitude. Mastery and haphazardness brush against each other and intertwine to marry nature and contemporary art.

Florence Lemoine’s design.

Véronique Darcon Cazes has explored natural patterns to craft soft dark pebbles which come in different materials. Mounted on a wall they compose unexpected constellations or a vertical dry gardens for the home.

Véronique Darcon Cazes’ design.

Vinciane Domergues is a cabinet maker and founder of La Feuille du Bois – ‘the leaf of the wood’ in English -, a carpenter workshop crafting bespoke sustainable furniture in a spirit of co-creation. Her Nomad table is a delicately balanced composition.

NOMAD table by La Feuille De Bois.

Silk is Sophie Guyot’s favourite material. In her Art & Craft Silk workshop in Lyon she creates scarves and accessories questioning the relation between function, color and material. Dyeing and needle-pleating are inspired by a shibori technique.

Sophie Guyot’s design.

Valerie Colas des Franc rethinks straw marquetry with light, colour and energy. Straw offers the lag of time with clean lines and a ‘rustic’ yet very modern feel. Her work adds personality to the material by mixing also metal, stone and leather.

Valérie Colas Des Francs’ design.

All photos by ©AETHION – Courtesy of Maison & Objet.

• RELATED STORIES: discover more eclectic crafts on Archipanic…