The universe of B. Ré: an upholsterer 2.0

BÉRÉNICE OR THE BEAUTIFUL HISTORY OF THE BASKETHER BECAME A TAPISSIER ARTISAN

At La Fabrique, we are particularly fond of craftsmanship and all its trades. Our feet will join and associate with the creations of carpenters, cabinet makers, kitchen designers, glaziers, marble workers but also upholsterers. Bérénice is part of this profession, so special, full of expertise. She shares her projects with us, Welcome to an Artisan Upholsterer.

WHAT IS AN ARTISAN TAPISSIER ?

My job is to make cushions, renovate, restore sofas, armchairs, whether they are old such as Louis XV, Louis XVI or modern armchairs. I bone the sofa, to rework the filling of coconut fiber for example, horsehair, or moss. Fabric is a key element in my job. I work more with French, Spanish and English houses which offer new collections very regularly as well as very specific ranges of colors and types of fabrics, the quality is there.

Another part of my job is tailor-made creation or according to the customer's desires, I completely reinvent a seat and give it a second life.

HOW DID YOU BECOME A TAPISSIER ARTISAN? ?

At first, nothing really intended for me. I was a basketball player in Rouen and for the record, what I knew about the Fabrique des Pieds country was more the sports halls: Wasquehal, Dunkirk or Neuville en Ferrain.

During all my studies, I searched for myself, I didn't really know what to do or where to go. My grandmother was more than a handyman, she was a seamstress in a castle in Yvelines where she sewed curtains. I have always admired his craft, his dexterity, his expertise. And then one day I asked her: "Grandma, do you think I can make tapestry my job?" "And she said," Of course ".

So I went to a school in Paris: la Bonne Graine alternately for 4 years to learn the profession of upholsterer. For the record, it is different from the upholstery profession where you learn how to make curtains, Roman or Venessian blinds. Me, I learned the seat upholstery. The magic of the world of craftsmanship with its professional backgrounds and expertise.

ARTISAN TAPISSIER, SOCIAL MEDIA, DIGITAL: WHEN EVERYTHING GETS MARRIED !

I am based in Normandy near Giverny but I also live in Paris, so I navigate between Parisian life and Normandy. And it's funny how this fairly traditional profession is developing a lot thanks to modernity, digital and Instagram of course. Finally, new technologies can also support “old” jobs.

Word of mouth works great too: recommending and recognizing the quality of the work done is essential in my job.

AND MAKE YOUR OWN CREATIONS ?

This is of course something that I love! The imagination, the mixture of colors and textures is just endless! On Instagram, we can clearly see that this explosion of creations makes people want even more: we multiply the ideas, it's great.

I feel like I'm creating envy, helping people "give birth" to ideas of sorts. I have a lot of people who contact me and tell me: I like your stool very much, could you make it for me in another fabric and rather round?

We coordinate, we choose the colors, patterns, styles and that's where we get it right and where we need it.

FEET ENTER THE SCENE

For one creation in particular, I was looking for clean feet. It was the design I had in mind and that's how on social media while searching, I came across La Fabrique. I also met the team at Maison & Objet and spoke with Florent. With La Fabrique, a relationship of trust has developed, a form of proximity in fact. We feel part of the community.

Besides, the choice of feet is such that you can do a lot of things. With an oak top that I recovered, I took V legs and the table rendering is just magnificent. For a square stool, I mixed a black and white jacquard fabric with golden flat iron legs, the same, the result is brilliant.

To find the site of the Univers de B.Ré,  click here

To find his Instagram page,  click here

To find his Facebook page ,  click here

To find his Pinterest page ,  click here