Interior landscaper
- Maxime defines 'well-made' as a piece that thrives independently
- Landscapes and materials are his main source of inspiration
- He repurposes waste from his workshop
Maxime Bellaunay specialises in stone sculpting and woodworking. He discovered his passion during a transformative high school internship in a luthier's workshop. Working with stone, wood and metal, Maxime immerses himself in nature, exploring rocks and absorbing the landscapes and craftsmanship of others' works to shape his own creations. Merging traditional techniques with modern innovation, Maxime integrates contemporary aesthetics into his work. The result is a harmonious fusion that makes his pieces both functional and sculptural, bringing landscapes into interior spaces. He produces unique pieces and limited editions through collaborations in France and Japan.
INTERVIEW
The internship I took when I was 14 left a lasting impression on me. I realised that it was possible to spend your days working standing up and using your hands. It was then that I knew I wanted to be a craftsman. At that time, violin making was not a very lucrative profession, so I began studying wood making, and I loved it.
I am grateful to have a job that brings me joy and fulfillment, allowing me to pursue my passion. I am also fortunate to interact with a community of fellow artisans who inspire me.
All the leftovers from my workshop find use elsewhere. I reuse the scraps from my coffee tables to make wall sconces, all my small stone scraps go to a friend who uses them as bases for jewellery making, my stone dust scraps go to a friend who is a decorative painter, and all my brass scraps go to my neighbour who is a mosaic artist. The entire workshop operates in a closed-loop system.
I do not earn a living every month from what I do, but I adapt and live modestly. What is important to me is that I can open the workshop door every morning with the same smile. And up until now, people have continued to invest in beautiful objects for their interiors, so I keep working and I do not give up.
