MAKING STRAW MARQUETRY AN OBJECT OF DESIRE AND DESIGN
A virtuoso of straw marquetry, Lison de Caunes has succeeded in making a lasting contribution to contemporary interior design. A craft at the frontier of art...
THE HERITAGE OF STRAW
For Lison de Caunes, straw marquetry began with a sweet childhood memory. It was in the workshop of her grandfather, decorator and furniture designer André Groult, that she was introduced to this meticulous craft. With this master of Art Deco, she cultivated a boundless creativity and a quest for beauty that led her to the Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs. Initially trained as a bookbinder, she quickly returned to her first love, revolutionizing the art of bookbinding with tools such as the bone folder, which she never abandoned. Shimmering colors, poetic decorations, material effects: in the hands of Lison de Caunes, straw marquetry has become an art form. A veritable eulogy of patience, this discipline that some thought obsolete reveals its infinite creative power. Or how to turn a rare family heritage into an extraordinary career path! Maître d'art since 1996, member of the Grands Ateliers de France, Entreprises du Patrimoine Vivant, chevalière de la Légion d'Honneur, Lison de Caunes is one of the leading figures in French arts and crafts, which she promotes internationally.
STRAW MARQUETRY, FROM HUMBLE DISCIPLINE TO EXCEPTIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIP
The poor relation of wood marquetry, straw marquetry is a French tradition first used by 17th-century cabinetmakers to replace exotic veneers, which were very expensive at the time. An entirely manual technique, this discipline was also a pastime for clerics, sailors, prisoners of war and other convicts. The result? A very rich craft that would become Lison de Caunes' first playground. Forgotten for several decades, straw marquetry was given a new lease of life in the 1920s by such eminent Art Deco decorators as Jean-Michel Frank and André Groult. But it was Lison de Caunes who gave it its finest facelift. After restoring the finest masterpieces, her straw marquetry now adorns furniture, objects and wall coverings for prestigious brands and hotels around the world. Cartier, Guerlain, Harrods, Bulgari and The Balvenie are just some of the great names in luxury who have been seduced by the modernity and charm of this technique, which has been elevated to the status of a work of art. Or how to write the history of an exceptional craft.
DISCOVER THE CREATIVE WORLD OF LISON DE CAUNES
When you're overwhelmed by the obvious beauty of Lison de Caunes' creations, it's hard to imagine that it emanates from simple strands of rye straw, the same kind used for reupholstering chairs, for example. A resistant material that defies time, the rye straw used by Lison de Caunes is harvested once a year in Burgundy by Jean-Luc Rodot, her long-standing partner, and dyed by Manufacture Royale Bonvallet. To bring her ornaments to life, Lison de Caunes smoothes and glues each fine, delicate strand one by one. But her most emblematic projects are often the result of a combination of different skills. Combined with gold leaf, mother-of-pearl, embroidery or even feathers, straw marquetry enters a new dimension. In addition to coffee tables, screens and other decorative objects, straw marquetry is used in interior design projects for private residences and public spaces, infusing a rare elegance and unrivalled singularity through its very presence. A daring exercise in style that Lison de Caunes accomplishes with passion every day!
LISONDECAUNES.COM/FR
