Maxime Bellaunay is our Artisan of the Month !

Maxime Bellaunay is a sculptor-cabinetmaker and 2021 laureate of the Fondation Rémy Cointreau. After completing a BMA in cabinetmaking and a DMA specialising in decoration and surface treatment at Ecole Boulle, he set up his workshop at Les Ateliers de Paris. He works with stone, metal, and wood to create interior landscapes. He creates one-off pieces and limited editions for private clients and interior designers. In this new episode of Artisan of the Month, find out more about his know-how!

The trade

Cabinetmaking is a craft that has lived through the centuries. It originally involved working with ebony wood and transforming it into creative furniture. Today, the trade is constantly evolving and is no longer confined to the use of a single material.

Maxime had initially planned to create musical instruments. It was after an internship that he decided to continue his studies in cabinetmaking. Today, he works mainly with stone in his workshop, using his cabinet-making expertise in association with sculpture. This approach places him at the crossroads of two disciplines rarely associated, giving his creations an originality. By taking stone into unexpected areas, his creations invite contemplation and emotion.

The gesture

In the craftsman’s trade, between tradition and modernity, every gesture matters. Maxime travels a lot, particularly to Japan, and sees gesture as a universal language that goes beyond cultures and borders. His favourite gestures not only reveal a design in the stone, but also hollow it out and texture it. “It’s like revealing an object that is already present in the matter,” explains Maxime Bellaunay.  When he works this way, he loses all sense of time, allowing himself to be guided by his tools.

The transmission

Maxime Bellaunay has been sharing his expertise since 2019 by teaching at Ecole Boulle and Ecole de Condé, where he oversees the prototyping workshop. Alongside, he takes on trainees in his workshop. Passing on his know-how is essential to him, allowing the craft to evolve and perpetuate.

The Fondation Rémy Cointreau supported Maxime’s acquisition of a set of stone-cutting tools to allow him to work the stone in his workshop.