À la découverte de l'atelier Buffile - Tresse Paris

Discovering Atelier Buffile

In early February, Vincent and Romain Buffile opened the doors of their studio in Aix-en-Provence to us. It was an opportunity for us to learn more behind the scenes of our collaboration with Atelier Buffile.

At Atelier Buffile, the love and craft of ceramics have been passed down for three generations. The studio was founded in 1945 by Léonie Buffile, Vincent's mother and Romain's grandmother, and holds over seventy years of creations.

Heir to this post-war aesthetic, Romain Buffile draws great inspiration from his grandfather's creations: “90% of the designs were created by the first generation. We take these shapes from the 1950s to 1970s and add our aesthetic.”

For our Spring suitcase, we created several pieces in collaboration with the Buffiles. During our studio visit, Romain and Vincent walked us through all the crafting steps of our ceramics.

The first step

Working the clay, using their favorite tool: their hands. The clay is worked using the stamping technique: first by hand, then flattened with a roller, before being shaped into a plaster mold made specially for this collaboration.

The second step

The rest of the crafting process depends on the piece being made. For our LARA catchalls, the clay is stamped to obtain the desired motif. For the LEXA catchalls, patterns are shaped using the thumb. The LUPA pencil pots are shaped on a potter's wheel.

The third step

The clay is then dried in the drying room for two to four days, depending on the weather: the warmer it is, the faster it dries. Once dry, the clay is unmolded, and the artisans then smooth and touch up the edges if necessary.

The fourth step

Next comes the initial firing step: in a kiln reaching temperatures up to 900 degrees. This first firing lasts about twelve hours: six hours for the kiln to reach maximum temperature, then another six hours to cool down.

The fifth step

Once the clay is dry, we move on to the glazing step. The ceramic is dipped into a pigment bath to give it the desired color. For the making of our LUPA pencil pots, the ceramic is dipped into three different glaze baths to achieve this blend of colors. Between each coat of color, you need to wait several minutes for the pigment to dry.

The sixth step

Finally, the ceramics are fired once again for twelve hours, and once dry, Romain and Vincent sign each piece by hand.

And that is how the ceramics from our Spring Suitcase were crafted! They are available now on our website, and we can't wait for them to decorate your interiors.