18/07/2026
🔨 Welcome to La Bonne Graine 🔨
The school where I spent five unforgettable years as an apprentice upholsterer.
At 16, I knew one thing for certain: I wanted to create.
I had applied to several art and design schools, but after failing every entrance exams, I wasn’t sure where my path would take me…
Then my best friend, who was studying cabinet making, convinced me to visit the school’s open day.
“Just come and have a look.”
I replied” okay fine I ll have a look…”
I remember walking into the upholstery workshop and standing completely still.
Students were restoring Louis XVI armchairs, Bergères and chaise longues using traditional techniques that had been passed down through generations. 💫
I had never imagined a place like this even existed.
“Wait… I can actually learn to do this?”
Then they showed me another workshop. At the time, many young women were encouraged towards soft furnishings and curtains.
Beautiful work…
But it wasn’t for me.
I didn’t want curtains.
I wanted hammers.
I wanted tacks.
I wanted springs.
I wanted to rebuild the chair itself.
There was something deeply meaningful about stripping away every old layers and rebuilding it from the frame up.
Looking back, I realise it wasn’t just the furniture that fascinated me.
It was the idea that something worn, forgotten or damaged could be given another life through patience, skill and care.
That philosophy has stayed with me ever since.
Joining was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
And even today, I still think of myself as an apprentice.
Because craftsmanship isn’t something you ever finish learning.
