Paris is full of small artisans with unparalleled talent. Lison de Caunes is one of them: for nearly 50 years, the creator has been bringing straw marquetry back to life in all its splendor and passing on her passion to the younger generation.
When we think about craftsmanship, our minds usually go to professions like jeweler, ceramist, tailor, baker, and so on... But the world of crafts is full of surprises and sometimes hides skills that we wouldn't even have suspected, like straw marquetry. This is a profession that Lison de Caunes has been practicing in her Parisian workshop for nearly 50 years.
An expertise passed down through her family
"The principle of marquetry is to glue edge to edge," explains the septuagenarian. First, we start with a simple straw, already dyed in the color of our choice, then we split it in half, crush it, and pass it through many times to obtain a kind of ribbon. It’s smooth so that we can stick. All the beauty of the created works then lies in how the light plays with the straw," explains Lison, and in the orientation of the straws, which will create different patterns and shapes.
The technique of Extreme Orient, imported to Europe in the 17th century, straw marquetry was very fashionable in France during the Art Deco period, in the 1920s and 30s: " there are two great decorators who worked with straw marquetry, Jean-Michel Frank and my grandfather, André Groult". It was alongside the latter that Lison learned everything. Passionate since the age of thirteen, she grew up surrounded by this art: " I fell in love with this craftsmanship, especially with my grandfather's objects. We always served coffee on a straw marquetry tray at home", she smiles. On the wall, facing her, he also watches over his granddaughter: a black and white photograph of the decorator is hanging on the wall.
The revival of Straw marquetry
After her grandfather's passing, Lison began restoring his works, dismantling and reassembling them to understand all about this precious skill. When she truly delved into it in the 19th century.In the 80s, straw marquetry had fallen out of favor, but that was no match for the talent of the great lady, which allowed it to experience a new lease on life.
Considered at first as the "poor relation" of wood marquetry, straw has now become a luxurious material, sought after by the biggest luxury houses: "we work for Cartier, we work for Vuitton," says Lison. So much so that now, Antoine de Caunes's sister runs a company of about fifteen people, recognized worldwide for its unique expertise.
"We have really specialized in decoration, so we do a lot of collaborations with other artisans in order to always innovate," she explains while showing us her works. Mother-of-pearl inlays, embossed straw.
, embroideries, feathers, paintings... Far from resting on her laurels, **the creator seeks inspiration everywhere**, but especially in her grandfather's sketches. Look at this cute photo! 📸 #happiness #smiles 😄💕🌈🌻🌟See this post on Instagram
Named a Master of Art in 1998, awarded the Legion of Honor in 2010, Lison de Caunes shines with her success and continues to train the most talented artisans in the profession. While she is not the only one creating around this art today, many have passed through her workshops before starting their own journey. A true inspiration in the world of craftsmanship, she carries on her legacy with grace and passion.The first thing you learn when you come to a marquetry workshop is patience. A piece of furniture or even 20 square meters of straw, it takes a very long time. It's several months of work, and that's what makes the straw luxurious.
50 years after its beginnings, Lison still seems just as passionate about what she does: "I find craftsmanship to be a very beautiful profession, it's a profession of passion. It's great to want to get up every morning and go to the workshop," she says. A contagious enthusiasm that made us leave here with stars in our eyes.
Ateliers Lison de Caunes
20, rue Mayet - 6th
More information: https://www.lisondecaunes.com/fr/
