Gesta

A career change driven by a passion for making and creating

The workshop was born from an unconventional journey, marked by curiosity, exploration, and deliberate career shifts. Before turning to upholstery, Mathilde studied environmental law and art history. This path was enriched by several experiences abroad, fostering both cultural openness and a love for discovery.

She then worked as a lawyer for four years, but a more concrete, creative, and hands-on need gradually emerged. The desire to work with materials, colors, and volumes, and to restore the importance of artisanal craftsmanship, became essential.

Discovering upholstery

The turning point came during the renovation of her apartment, while re-upholstering several chairs. A meeting with Alice Loevenbruck, followed by an immersion in her workshop, quickly confirmed this intuition: upholstery brings together heritage, creation, technique, and a connection to everyday objects.

She then enrolled in the CAP Upholsterer program at the Neufchâteau high school, where she trained in traditional upholstery techniques (horsehair padding) and modern techniques (foam padding), as well as furniture sewing and the history of styles.

Her end-of-year project already illustrated her desire to combine craftsmanship and contemporary creation: on the theme of Art Deco, she designed a column of stackable stools inspired by Brancusi's Endless Column, conceived as modular furniture suitable for small spaces.

Bridging heritage and contemporary creation

Today, the workshop focuses its activities on two main areas:

• the restoration of seating, particularly 20th-century furniture,
• the creation of contemporary pieces, blending artisanal techniques, aesthetic research, and experimentation.