Trained at the École Boulle and the ENSCI in Paris, Ève George plunged into the delicate art of glassmaking when she discovered the Verrerie de Meisenthal glassworks. There she acquired her skills, before joining the CERFAV, becoming a Compagnon Verrier Européen. Her career has been a ballet between tradition and innovation, capturing the light and art in every piece of glass she designs. With a real appetite for design, she co-founded Atelier George and works between Paris and her workshop in Burgundy.
Ève has won numerous awards, from her participation in the Villa Albertine to the ‘Mondes Nouveaux’ commission from the French Ministry of Culture.
Ève George ©Julie Limont
Bertille Laguet combines innovation and excellence in the Swiss world of design and craftsmanship. She combines her talents as a metalworker and designer. Her artistic journey began at the ECAL (école cantonale d'art de Lausanne), where she graduated with honours with a Bachelor's degree in industrial design, before blossoming in ironwork alongside master craftsman Philippe Naegele, who passed on his expertise to her. At the helm of La Forge, her workshop in Chexbres (Vaud), she breathes life and emotion into commissions and restorations.
Bertille has left her mark as an artist on stages as varied as Geneva, San Francisco and New York. She has been recognised with awards from the Homo Faber Guide and the Swiss Design Awards.
Bertille Laguet © Mirjam Kluka
Louis Monier's passion for wood led him to the École Boulle, where in 2004 he trained in chair joinery. His excellence was rewarded in 2009 with a Diplôme des Métiers d'Art for his faithful reproduction of a work by Hector Guimard. His quest for perfection led him to the Mobilier National, where he specialised even further. In 2013, he established the Atelier Monier in the historic birthplace of chair joinery, Place de la Nation in Paris, becoming one of the few Parisian names in this craft.
Crowned Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 2018, Louis Monier combines tradition and innovation. He is also committed to training the next generation of craftsmen and developing creations that reflect his modern approach to joinery.
Louis Monier © Fondation Rémy Cointreau
Jean-Michel Bourillot, who learnt Space Design at the Beaux-Arts de Toulouse, and Victor Fleury Ponsin, who trained at the Camondo School, co-founded Ombre Agence, a design agency dedicated to craftspeople and materials. Their collaboration with manufacturers and art workshops results in unique creations that breathe contemporary life into age-old techniques.
For this 1st edition of the competition, they are combining their talents with those of Adrian Augagneur, a renowned cabinetmaker and Compagnon du devoir, trained at the École Boulle and co-founder of Atelier AAA. Together, they have come up with works that celebrate wood, while injecting creativity and innovation.
Adrian Augagneur, Victor Fleury Ponsin and Jean-Michel Bourillot
Antoine and Rosalie, both creators of metal objects, combine art and design in their work. Rosalie Péricaud, an architect turned metalworker, makes minimalist creations in Saint-Denis, emphasising the contrasts between sketching and forging. Antoine Lecreux, with his skills in dinanderie (hammering metal sheets), creates lighting and craft objects in his workshop in Noisy-le-Sec, where he favours traditional and eco-responsible methods.
Together, they embody the new wave of arts and crafts, with workshops where the sound of the hammer and the silence of reflection combine to give life to works that tell a story of passion, precision and respect for the material.
Antoine Lecreux and Rosalie Péricaud