Part 1
Life is lived more intensely when we truly listen to ourselves. That inner voice we sometimes ignore for years, some people dare to listen to it and take the plunge.
Today, I’m telling you the story of those who have set up their own businesses: some by chance, others driven by a desire to preserve knowledge or pass on a legacy…
Here are twelve businesses that remind me of this and inspire me every day to believe in myself and never stop being creative.
As this article is, in my view, quite dense because it contains so many examples, I’m going to split it into two posts. Here are the first six.
Atelier Vime
-Vallabrègues, France-
Founded in 2014 by Benoît Rauzy and Anthony Watson
To understand this story, we need to go back to the 18th century: situated on a former island in the Rhône between Arles and Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Vallabrègues was then the historic capital of French basketry, with nearly a quarter of its inhabitants weaving wicker harvested in the Camargue. In 1878, the Hôtel Drujon, a townhouse in the town centre, became a central wicker-weaving workshop. Then, with the advent of plastic in the 1970s, the trade came to an abrupt end and the craft was forgotten.
In 2014, Benoît Rauzy and Anthony Watson, both keen collectors of antiques, were looking for a house in the area and came across this long-dormant Hôtel Drujon. Whilst restoring it, they came across a wealth of old baskets, tools and period documents: the house had belonged to just two families over three centuries, the last of whom ran one of the village’s leading rattan workshops. The house’s past leapt out at them.
With no formal training in the trade, they took a radical decision: not merely to restore the walls, but to breathe new life into the workshop itself. They founded Atelier Vime (from the Latin vimen, meaning ‘flexible stem’) and set out to find the last remaining local basket weavers still capable of mastering the complex art of weaving wicker, rattan or rope.
The success was immediate: by combining these ancestral techniques with contemporary furniture ranges created in collaboration with designers, the duo shook up the conventions of interior design: giant pendant lights, armchairs and mirrors made from natural fibres flew off the shelves. The brand has since published a book with Flammarion recounting this adventure, and has its own showrooms in Vallabrègues and Paris.
Why it inspires: what began as simply the idea of buying a holiday home turned into a passion and a responsibility, that of continuing what the house itself had begun three centuries earlier. Changing your life often means listening and seeing what life puts in your path.
=> discover Atelier Vime
Astier de Villatte
-Paris, France-
Founded in 1996 by Ivan Péricoli and Benoît Astier de Villatte
It all began at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in the early 1990s, where Ivan Péricoli and Benoît Astier de Villatte studied under the sculptor Georges Jeanclos, who taught them estampage, a traditional technique of hand moulding. Benoît’s father, himself a painting teacher, instilled in them a love of art objects from a very early age.
In 1996, driven by a far more down-to-earth urgency (paying the rent), the two students signed up on a whim for the Maison & Objet trade fair. The problem was that they had nothing to sell. They opted for terracotta, a cheap material that was quick to work with, and presented raw, unique pieces. Against all expectations, American and Japanese buyers flocked to their stand: the brand was launched, without them ever really having decided to do so.
To fulfill their first orders, the two artists set up shop in an abandoned building on Rue de Lappe, near the Bastille. It was in this squat, which they shared with other artists, that they set up a makeshift kiln and handcrafted their first plates and soup bowls, drawing inspiration from objects they had unearthed at flea markets or found on the sidewalks of Paris.
This critical acclaim grew into a fully-fledged business: a production workshop in the 13th arrondissement, the acquisition of a letterpress printing house to create their own stationery range, collaborations with leading perfumers for candles and fragrances, and a publishing house. The signature technique remains the same: a black clay stamp covered with white glaze, revealing small imperfections that give each piece its soul — a style the founders themselves sum up as evoking ‘a past that never existed’.
Why it’s inspiring: because the greatest successes are often the least planned! Those born out of a basic survival instinct (such as paying the rent) and a calculated gamble very often prove to be winners.
Before becoming a global benchmark, Benoit and Ivan set out with no safety net, combining skilful craftsmanship (in this case, the stamping technique they learnt from a master) with faith in what they were creating.
=> Discover Astier de Villatte
At Antoinette Poisson’s in Paris
-Paris, France-
Founded in 2012 by Jean-Baptiste Martin and Vincent Farelly
It all began in the late 2000s, when Jean-Baptiste Martin and Vincent Farelly studied the restoration of graphic artworks together, before specialising in the preservation of heritage and antique wallpaper – a profession that gradually honed their appreciation of traditional techniques and pigments from the Age of Enlightenment.
The real turning point came in 2012, during the renovation of a historic house in Auvergne. Whilst stripping away centuries of layers of wallpaper, the two conservators discovered fragments of ‘dominos’: decorative sheets printed using engraved wooden blocks, then enhanced with colour by hand or using stencils. This ‘dominotier’ technique, which had fallen out of use since the 19th century, fascinated them so much that they decided to recreate it in its entirety.
That same year, they joined forces and set up their workshop in Paris’s 11th arrondissement, under the name ‘À Paris chez Antoinette Poisson’, a tribute to Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, the Marquise de Pompadour, Louis XV’s favourite and a great patron of the arts at the very time when the dominoterie was enjoying its golden age.
In their workshop-boutique, the duo work exactly as they did in the 18th century by using pure rag paper, printing it sheet-by-sheet and hand-colouring it: a historic technique that immediately captivated the world of interior design. These dominoes were originally used to line chests and cupboards, or to bind books. Over the past fourteen years, the company has expanded its range to include printed linen, wallpaper rolls, papier-mâché, stationery and even eau de parfum, whilst forging a growing number of prestigious collaborations: the Palace of Versailles, Gucci, Diptyque, Ladurée and Sézane.
Why it inspires: because these two restorers have managed to revive an entire craft that had been lost for two centuries. A chance encounter on a renovation site brought them face to face with a craft they rediscovered and simply refused to let die out. Once again, it’s important to keep an open mind and observe the world around us in our daily lives.
=> Discover Antoinette Poisson
Marin Montagut
-Paris, France-
Founded in 2020 by Marin Montagut
It all began in Toulouse, where Marin Montagut grew up surrounded by antiques: his mother was an antique dealer and his grandmother a painter. From childhood, his eye was drawn to the charm of forgotten objects that tell a story, and he developed a compulsive urge to collect and draw the world around him at a very early age.
At the age of 19, he left Toulouse for Paris: it was love at first sight with the capital’s architecture, façades and parks, which he saw as a living postcard. He then went on to study drawing at Central Saint Martins in London, before returning to Paris via a roundabout route… First as an assistant to the set designer Christian Sapet, then as a production designer in film, two experiences that sharpened his sense of staging.
He first made a name for himself with his ‘Bonjour City Map Guides’ (maps of capital cities painted entirely in watercolour) and then with the book Sous les toits de Paris (2018), co-written with Inès de la Fressange. Frustrated at being unable to find the poetic objects he dreamed of for his own everyday life in shops, he took the plunge: he transferred his watercolours onto tableware, cushions and glasses, with the green chairs of the Jardin du Luxembourg becoming his signature motif.
In June 2020, he opened his first eponymous boutique at 48 Rue Madame, designed to evoke a delicatessen from a bygone era: porcelain, hand-painted glassware, papier-mâché treasure boxes, candles. Each piece is now handmade and decorated by hand in a workshop in the 20th arrondissement.
Why it inspires: What I really like about Marin Montagut is that he embodies his brand not to please the market, but to fill a personal void: the objects missing from his everyday life. His entire shop, his pieces and his art are a declaration of love for Paris. It’s hard to imagine that it’s still possible to be creative and innovative in the realm of ‘souvenir gifts’, and yet Marin believed it was possible! And if you’re going to bring back souvenirs, they might as well be as inspired and elegant as his.
=> Discover Marin Montagut
FAIRE Magazine
-Lacoste, Vaucluse, France-
Launched in spring 2021 by Ruth Ribeaucourt
A former press officer for Disney in Ireland, Ruth Ribeaucourt moved to Provence for love. It was whilst exploring her husband’s family archives (a dynasty of jacquard ribbon makers dating back to 1864) that she had a revelation: fascinated by these vintage textiles, she launched her own line of retro jewellery in 2010 and began sourcing vintage fabrics for leading fashion houses such as Alexander McQueen and Dries Van Noten.
This treasure-hunting work connected her to a whole network of artists across Europe. Camera in hand, she began documenting their daily lives, became a photographer and writer for various international interior design magazines, and then, in 2019, founded international creative retreats to bring this community together around craftsmanship.
The real turning point came in 2020: when she was invited to serve as guest editor for a special issue of the American magazine What Women Create, she realised the profound impact of these life stories. In the midst of the pandemic, as the world was being forced to go digital at breakneck speed, she felt the need to do the opposite: to create a physical object – heavy and textured – that invites you to slow down.
In spring 2021, the first issue of FAIRE rolled off the presses in the village of Lacoste: a quarterly mook (half-magazine, half-book) dedicated to what it means to ‘make a living from one’s creativity’. Through in-depth, intimate features, Ruth Ribeaucourt delves into the private lives of craftspeople, potters, weavers and painters, capturing unvarnished images of their homes and studios. Entirely self-funded, it is now distributed in over 26 countries and supported by an international community of readers.
Why it inspires: I admire Ruth for believing in and launching a print magazine. It was a venture entirely self-funded, without any investors, which succeeded because there is a genuine appreciation for the beauty and intrigue surrounding the work of artists and craftspeople. What’s more, as a photographer myself, I absolutely love all these magnificent photographs of workshops!
=> Discover Faire Magazine
John Derian Company Inc.
-New York, USA-
Founded in 1989 by John Derian
Coming from a working-class background in Watertown, Massachusetts, nothing suggested that John Derian was destined for the world of interior design.
After secondary school, he moved to Cambridge without going to university, lived in a series of makeshift flats and worked as a waiter in a trendy restaurant (his true ‘creative incubator’), where he rubbed shoulders with a whole host of artists. At the same time, he sold his first creations: frames adorned with buttons and found objects in local shops.
The real turning point came in the late 1980s, when he began scouring antiques fairs and flea markets. It was love at first sight with ‘ephemera’: old prints, 18th-century botanical plates, yellowed love letters and Victorian textbooks. Fascinated by this pre-photographic imagery, he sought a way to breathe new life into it. In 1989, he founded the John Derian Company in New York and revived the art of découpage: gluing these vintage illustrations onto plates, trays, paperweights and glass bowls.
In 1994, he rented a small space on East Second Street to use as a production workshop. To pay the rent, he began selling his pieces directly to passers-by, and officially opened his first shop in 1995. The space, quickly nicknamed ‘the grocery store’ by New York’s fashion elite, became a place of pilgrimage, featuring translucent glass pieces, vintage textiles and weathered furniture.
What began as a solitary craft has become a cult brand, still handcrafted in the New York workshop by a small team of artisans.
=> Discover John Derian
A best-selling author (The John Derian Picture Book), he has forged numerous collaborations, from Target to the Parisian potters at Astier de Villatte — a perfect union between Parisian black clay and vintage New York imagery.
Why it inspires: No passion or curiosity is too narrow to explore; this is something John Derian realised very early on. At its core, he simply wants to preserve images from a bygone era and bring to life everyday objects linked to them. All his expansion: books, collaborations, shops... always stems from the same fixed point: a childhood obsession with images and forgotten paper.
Conclusion (End of Part 1)
Here are the first six stories of inspiring creatives who all share a common trait: they’ve followed their curiosity and passion to the fullest and launched businesses based on them.
In Part 2, we’ll continue this journey through Lisbon, Provence, and Beaujolais with six more stories that prove, each in its own way, that you can turn your life into a work of art and your work into a truth.
📸 (C)
1- Atelier Vime
2- Robert Doisneau : Le vannier de Vallabrègues, 1966
3- Portrait of Benoît Rauzy and Anthony Watson by Eric Jansen
4- Collage with photographs of Eric Jansen
5- Atelier Vime
6- Benoît Astier de Villatte and Ivan Pericoli - Photo by Julie Ansiau
7- Astier de Villate
8 & 9- Astier de Villate pieces by Paula Franco
10- Portrait Vincent Farelly and Jean-Baptiste Martin - Antoinette Poisson
11-12- Antoinette Poisson
13- Collage Antoinette Poisson & Portrait of Madame de Pompadour (the real Antoinette Poisson) by Quentin de La Tour
14- Boutique Antoinette Poisson
15- Portrait of Marin Montagut by The Socialite Family
16- Marin Montagut
17- Marin Montagut pieces by Paula Franco
18- Portrait of Ruth Ribeaucourt by Lean Timms
19 & 20- Faire magazine - photo from website
21- Christine Ferrer's atelier - Photography by Bruno Suet
22- Cécile Boudon's atelier - Faire website
23- Portrait of John Derian from the official website
24& 25-
all photos above by Stephen Johnson
26 & 27-
all photos above by Stephen Johnson