Studio POOL’s Series 01 combines metal craft and contemporary design

Curved aluminum, brushed brass pipes and geometrical forms. Studio POOL harnesses the metalwork skills and heritage of Atelier François Pouenat to create Series 01 sculptural furniture collection.

Atelier François Pouenat's SERIES 01 - Photo by Atelier Francois Pouenat — Atelier François Pouenat’s SERIES 01 – All photos: courtesy of Atelier Francois Pouenat.

Paris 2019 – Four years ago, Léa Padovani and Sébastien Kieffer of design studio POOL proposed François Pouenat a collection of designed pieces able to highlight the Workshop’s rare know-how and expertise in metal-working. The result is Series 01, a collection of 8 unique sculptural pieces including tables, vases and seats.

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The show highlights the expertise and technical excellence of the craftspeople at Atelier François Pouenat. “I am an avid admirer of Léa Padovani and Sébastien Kieffer’s work. Their professionalism is indisputable, and I appreciate their unwavering standards,” says François Pouenat, owner of the family company forged on metalwork skills passed down through five generations.

Series 1 is on show at the Gallery JOYCE in Paris and features also works by talented designers which were developed with and under the artistic direction of POOL. Stockholm-based designer Fredrik Paulsen used brushed brass and pink-hued steel tubes for his coffee table and a bench.

Mexico-based Fabien Cappello created a stool incorporating a footrest while NYC and Berlin-based designer Paul Loebach juxtaposed the mass, the line and the surface for his large dining table with a steel base and a marble tabletop.

Studio POOL combined different finishes and metals for the Assemblages set of vases and used curved aluminum for the elegant desk Barrel. Schnickschnack shelves, the centerpiece of the collection, features cones, cylinders and other geometrical forms.

Studio POOL is a Paris-based duo composed of Léa Padovani and Sébastien Kieffer. Founded in 2010, the studio’s goal is to explore associations between objects, architecture and images. “Beyond the obvious presence of an object, its beauty and function, we search for a multiplicity of meanings and highlight the emotions and reference points.”

At Atelier François Pouenat, metals are forged, shaped, machined, hammered, polished, patinated, nickel-plated, coated in gold leaf or lacquered, to be transformed into doors, gates, balconies, screens, banisters, shelves or windows.