Ten years ago, Anthony Watson and Benoît Rauzy purchased an 18th-century town house on the Rhône River in the Provençal village of Vallabrègues. The discovery that their location as soon as figured in a flourishing-but-now-nearly-extinct regional wicker industry led the couple in a surprise instructions. Without proficiency or an organization plan– Watson was formerly a stylist and Rauzy an energy-use expert– the 2 released Atelier Vime, dedicated to making high-style wicker furnishings from Rhône reeds and to using choice examples from the past.
Watson and Rauzy also went on to produce elegant settings for their productions: their newly shored-up Vallabrègues base worked as the preliminary showcase for Atelier Vime– see Rattan Revival– and was so favored that they obtained the 18th century house next door and turned it into France’s loveliest summer season emporium. In the last few years, they have actually also revived a Normandy farmhouse and Rauzy’s family compound in Brittany.
Their wickerwork and historical home renovations are celebrated in The World of Atelier Vime, offered in French and English editions. It includes the duo’s Paris quarters, which was Rauzy’s childhood home. He and Watson have masterfully protected its lots of highlights while likewise adding their own imprint– and no lack of wicker.
Photography by Anthony Watson and Yvan Moreau, as credited, all courtesy of Flammarion.
Above: Rauzy’s dad, an art-loving dental practitioner, moved into the top-floor duplex in Saint-Germain-des-Près in 1953 when it was a bohemian enclave, and Rauzy grew up with checking out artists remaining and operating in their attic. Atelier Vime Edition’s signature Medici Vase and Pedestal now stands in the entry of the early 18th century structure.
Rauzy and Watson produce Vime’s original styles with their pal Raphaëlle Hanley and they work with French craftsmens. “There were 15,000 basketmakers operating in the 1950s [in France], while today there are only around 100,” composes Rauzy regreting the loss of abilities and culture. “Our designs have actually shaken up a market that is mainly concentrated on developing baskets for useful uses, and they often press craftspeople to the limitations of their competence.” Photograph by Anthony Watson.