Chloé Scher

Les Empotées

Ceramicist

The joy of creating with hands

Chloé creates customised ceramic tableware, tiles and interior pieces
She uses French clay from local quarries
Her piece Noctis lamp is now installed in a Michelin-starred restaurant

Chloé Scher discovered pottery during a workshop, fell in love with it and opened her atelier Les Empotées just a year later. She creates and customises decorative and lighting pieces, as well as tableware and ceramic tiles. Chloé enjoys exploring new ways of working, such as making her own enamels, working with wood firing techniques and researching glazes. She also collaborates with other artists to create unique, bespoke pieces born out of a joint process and creative vision. "My sources of inspiration are the earth, its energy and nature’s movements. These are the elements that feed my soul and heart," Chloé says. Some projects could take her up to 50 hours of work, or even require her to close a site for up to a week to install her pieces with a whole team of technicians.

Interview

What are your favourite tools?: My hands! I love working with my fingers, feeling the clay and experiencing the emotions that clay work can give me. I also love my wood tools which I use to finalise the edges of my pieces when needed.
What are your main sources of inspiration?: I love crafts, art and nature. Inspiration is everywhere – I spend a lot of time reading and visiting exhibitions and museums that showcase ceramics and glass, which helps me observe other methods of working. What influences me the most is meeting with artists and mentors at exhibitions and workshops.
How do you deal with the social aspect of your craft?: Talking about my practice does not come naturally to me – I find it much easier to research, experiment and work with clay in my workshop. It is difficult to explain my pieces and discuss my working process with others.
How do you name your collections?: Collections names depend on the characteristics of the pieces that belong to them, whether they are bespoke or new creations made for specific shops or exhibitions.

Chloé Scher is a rising star: she began her career in 2019 and she started teaching in 2023