What brought you to cabinetmaking?
My gut! I was missing something in my career as an advertising creative. I discovered manual work and reconnected with myself, I was completely in tune with all my abilities by working with my hands. I couldn't see any other profession but this one.
When did you open your own workshop?
Right after finishing my studies. I couldn't find a workshop suitable for someone like me, already older and undergoing retraining, and at the same time I found clients instead of employers. I have an entrepreneurial streak, so I set up my own workshop in 2011.
©Bruno de Maistre
Do you remember the first object you made?
It was before my training, I made a table that folds to 40 centimetres and goes up to 340 centimetres. It was for my wife and I, and a friend told me he wanted the same one. Since then, I haven't stopped making them. It's something I do on a regular basis.
What do you love most about your profession?
There isn’t just one side, I like being alone in the workshop, getting into the material, which I was missing before, but I also need encounters with others to feed my creativity. Crafting and communicating with clients are two aspects which I enjoy balancing.