The cabinetmaking duo in Sologne
- Anaïs and Simon chose this path out of passion
- They are inspired by nature’s infinite shapes and colours
- They design and craft to give each of their pieces a soul
In 2012, Anaïs Mroz and Simon Boullier were building a wooden board using recovered wood, when they realised what it is they really wanted to do with their time. Following their new-found passion for cabinetmaking, sculpture and design, these two engineering and business school graduates became full-time craftsmen. They completed a cabinetmaking diploma as free candidates, and set up their workshop soon after. Anaïs and Simon started creating their own furniture pieces with an array of skills such as woodcarving, burnt wood and chip carving techniques. They specialise in unique pieces or very small series and are now operating from their house-cum-atelier, a former hunting lodge surrounded by century-old oaks in Sologne.
INTERVIEW
Our first piece was a sculptural light that we called 114 because it was made for an exhibition at Paris Design Week on the theme of eco-responsible design and made from 114 scraps of wood from our workshop.
We work in a traditional way, with traditional tools and techniques. We are passionate about technique and do not hesitate to innovate in the way we do things when we encounter problems or face unprecedented challenges.
Wood is a living material, it acts like a sponge, shrinks in heat and expands under the effect of humidity. The art of furniture making consists in reducing this effect using various techniques so that the final work is stable.
Our workshop is intimately linked to our adopted homeland, the Sologne. We called ourselves Solum Lignum, which means 'wood country,' in homage to this region. We craft very organic pieces. Our last work, 100, is directly inspired by the typical pine forests of the region and we therefore called this collection 'Sologne.'
