Founded in 2017, La Chaise Française takes on the challenge of offering eco-friendly chairs on the French market. Dozens of chair models are made in the workshop of a specialized manufacturer in France. The chairs are made from wood sourced from PEFC-certified forests (Pan European Forest Certification), sustainably managed and located within a 200 km radius. No more chemicals or mass-produced chairs. The young company has chosen to produce less but better, while collaborating with a quality designer: Margaux Keller
Aire takes you to meet the team of La Chaise Française, founded and led by Bartolomé Lenoir since 2017.
Could you introduce yourself briefly as well as La Chaise Française?
My name is Bartolomé Lenoir, and I am originally from Nantes. I founded La Chaise Française three years ago. It is furniture that has been offshored for far too long.
You started as an assistant accountant and then as a journalist. How did you enter the furniture world? Where did the idea of La Chaise Française come from?
I have always been passionate about media and media engagement. I still write opinion pieces on Made in France for Le Figaro. My background is also very entrepreneurial. I attended both Dauphine and EM Lyon. Then, I started my own company. It has a commitment, not just profitability. The two blend very well together.
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How do you define your role within La Chaise Française? What qualities are required?
A form of resilience is necessary. Today, manufacturing in France remains very complicated. The made in France trend is on our side, but we have to start from very far behind, so resilience is very important. Financial resilience is also needed. It’s a sector where we will make much less margin than others. Then energy is important to knock on every door. We have to explain why we are more expensive and the meaning behind this approach of consuming French products. Finally, I am an entrepreneur who defends values.
Do you think your profession and your company will need to reinvent themselves? Especially with the pandemic?
Our company is quite young. We experienced a boom during the pandemic. We adapted earlier than other companies that now have to reinvent themselves. We are a brand that is very well understood digitally because we built ourselves around that. Covid only confirmed the good choices we had made.
In your opinion, do decoration and consequently furniture have an impact on our moods and well-being?
Sourcing
The first point is that there is an obvious link between product sourcing and well-being. Materials, depending on their chemical content, can have an impact on our health in daily life. Indeed, some factory-made products sometimes contain chemicals that can affect our well-being. We made a stool without screws, glue, or nails that is often used as a bedside table. It’s furniture you can breathe near because it’s close to our bed, so it can be dangerous if it contains chemicals.
Made In France
The second point concerns the quality made in France compared to Chinese quality. I often notice that our grandparents' generation has a much greater sense of the art of living than people in their 20s. They have knowledge of materials and a sense of quality. Having quality furniture means having elegant materials that put us in conditions for a much more pleasant art of living.
Design
The third element is design. I think today, having original pieces created by fellow citizens close to us is very important. These original pieces better reflect our identity. Today, factories achieve huge economies of scale to offer low-priced products. This leads to a standardization of decoration and furniture.
Because of this phenomenon, interiors are becoming more and more alike and no longer reflect each person’s identity. Especially in art, you can find identical paintings. Before, paintings were unique pieces and made coming home a pleasure. I believe that made in France and creativity can only happen locally. This impacts our way of life.
Can you describe your creative process and how you work with La Chaise Française?
We put eco-responsibility at the start of the creative process. We give constraints to the designer from the beginning. Then, we create a first prototype that will fit the industrialization of the product. Once several prototypes are created, we choose the one that is the most eco-responsible and aesthetically pleasing. We then launch the product in series.
Can you briefly present your eco-responsible approach?
Our eco-responsible approach starts with sourcing the wood. We mainly work with local wood. We use water-based paint instead of chemical paint, which can have a negative impact on our health. Then, we have our chairs made in a French factory. This helps maintain French jobs and highlights their expertise. The products you buy from us emit very little greenhouse gases during their production.
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Do you work in a circular economy?
Today we can recycle our products. We source our products from virgin materials. Our wood comes from sustainably managed forests. Therefore, there is no deforestation. On the contrary, when you buy a chair from us, a tree is planted. Additionally, we refurbish and rework the chairs that are given to us.
You launched a chair brand. Don’t you think there are already enough chairs on the market? Why launch a new chair line? It’s a big gamble, isn’t it?
No, chairs are the most imported furniture. In France, a chair costs too much to produce. So it was necessary to take on this project to save this furniture and the French know-how that comes with it.
What are your sources of inspiration?
Mostly literature. Some writers speak to me deeply. They gave me a love for France and the vocation to work locally. Then, I came to furniture through painting. I’m a big fan of painting. I’m interested quite broadly, from Poussin to Renoir, but also Italians from the great Renaissance century. However, contemporary painting interests me less. It’s this love of painting that led me to the Decorative Arts and gave me a real interest in the art of living.
Do you have any Instagram or Facebook accounts you particularly like?
I really like the softness of Cézanne’s textile brand. It’s very clean and I appreciate their approach. In furniture, I like Gautier pieces. It’s a company with a real family history, which is a true inspiration for us. Then, for more aesthetic inspiration, you should subscribe to Gazette Drouot, which is magnificent. It features art, decorative arts, and lots of decoration. They showcase the historical range and French know-how. It’s inspiring.
Finally, what do you think about the Pegboard and modular design? Should we prefer a single-function or multifunctional object?
I think it shouldn’t be either one or the other. Some objects need to be single-function and others multifunctional. There is a trend towards multifunctionality, but it has to be done intelligently. We shouldn’t think that single-function objects are obsolete.
Feel free to check out our latest article: Studio Ammo
Interview conducted by Clara Didier
Layout by Coralie Mottu
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