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Welcome to Atelier de Sarah, a handcrafted furniture studio-workshop situated in Paris.

Following a career in education and marketing within a multinational giant of the beauty industry, I decided to devote myself entirely to a craft, now rare, handcrafted furniture making.

portrait-of-Sarah-by-Olivier-Rolfe

portrait of Sarah by Olivier Rolfe

My attraction for the applied arts is not new. Sniffing out pieces of furniture in antique shops and bric-a-brac markets in Cape Town – my birthplace in South Africa – then helping my parents to restore them was part of my childhood rituals.

40 years later in France, thanks to the prestigious “Ecole Boulle”, coupled with numerous internships in the wood working industry, that I was able to transform a hobby into a professional craft.

With French diplomas in both handcrafted furniture making and carpentry, I created my company, Atelier de Sarah in February 2015, based in Le Perreux, a close suburb of Paris. To a demanding clientele, I offer bespoke handcrafted furniture pieces, personalised built-in units and furniture renovation or restoration.

Passionate about architecture and the history of art, I am particularly interested in the decorative arts of the first half of the 20th century. The neighbourhood of my studio, overflows with Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings. My wish is to participate in the preservation of this heritage through the restoration of the wooden exterior and interior decorations.

Types of woods I use:

When working with solid wood, I prefer using wood from French or European forests, like walnut, oak, maple, beech, ash, birch, chestnut, cherry, plane…

Working with veneers opens a multitude of creative options, allowing me to play with often colourful and highly patterned exotic woods which do not exist naturally in Europe.

I do not work with chipboard, melamine or MDF (Medium Density Fibre).

BESPOKE FURNITURE I HANDCRAFTED FURNITURE

custom-designed-furniture

I create furniture pieces or copy existing pieces, crafting unique single items or in very limited quantities: tables, chairs, dressers, coffee tables, chests of chests of drawers credenzas, writing desks, consoles, beds, desks, nesting tables, bookshelves, frames, boxes, dressing tables, bedside tables, furniture for specific uses…

PERSONALISED BUILT-IN UNITS I CABINET MAKING

custom-designed-built-in-units

Optimising small or awkward spaces, housing books, creating cunning options for hiding “stuff”; personalised built-in units and shelving can be an efficient and aesthetic solution.

LUXURY OBJECTS IN WOOD

Bespoke luxury objects in wood as gifts for others or for oneself !

Wedding chestsbespoke boxes and cases of all dimensions and wood types to store photos, jewellery, pens, keys, writing paper and enveloppesportable writing casesgentleman’s shoe shining cases, glamorous chopping boards, dried sausage cellars, aperitif and grazing platters, cheese boards, lamps and ceiling lights to measure…

RENOVATION  I  RESTORATION 

front-door-renovation

The upgrading and renovation of old, solid wood front doors includes insulating the surround, replacing glass parts with double glazing, inserting 3 point locking systems invisibly into the door edge and if necessary, sandblasting the surface in order to refinish with protective varnish or paint. In this way, the insulation and security of a home can be improved without sacrificing the charm of the original door. Unfortunately, I no longer offer this service.

In the same vein of preservation, I restore old pieces of furniture or modify furniture to adapt it to modern life or perhaps even a new living space.