“It’s like a lab because we can experiment and try new techniques,” Caroline Ziegler told ArchiExpo e-Magazine.
Working in their 12 square meter office in Paris, Caroline Ziegler and Pierre Brichet founded Studio BrichetZiegler in 2010. They sketch and conceive interior design objects in collaboration with companies like Oxyo, Sancal, WayPoint and MOUSTACHE.
In 2015, Ziegler and Brichet began a new adventure and created their brand By Hands. Objects drawn in the Paris office are then handmade at their workshop in the French Alps.
By Hands gives life to Ziegler and Brichet’s ideas that “are too complicated to produce in large series.” Experimenting with wood, metal, brass, concrete, leather and glass, they make product designs sold on online. Caroline Ziegler accepts a call from ArchiExpo e-Magazine:
ArchiExpo e-Magazine: What are some new materials and techniques you have worked with?
Caroline Ziegler: We can work with anything; we just have to discover how it works and how to use it. For the Dalle Flottante Trays we use concrete, which is rare in small household objects. We also use a hammering technique to make the lampshade of Ombre Portée and the shape of Fleur de Peau vase. We started with a sheet of metal then hammered and welded it so that at the end we had a sculptural shape. It’s covered with a special iridescent paint that forms to the metal accentuating the true surface.
-
- Lampe Ombre Portee, By Hands – Photo Credit: Baptiste Heller
-
- Plateaux Dalle Flottante, By Hands – Photo Credit: Baptiste Heller
ArchiExpo e-Magazine: Does the concrete make the Dalle Flottante Trays heavy?
Caroline Ziegler: No, we used a lightweight concrete. We made a special order edition too, which looks like someone threw ink into the concrete when it was still liquid. There is a spread of color in the middle of the concrete. Currently, we are working on a luxury version. It’s made with walnut and ash wood; instead of concrete, we use a brass mirror.
ArchiExpo e-Magazine: Can you tell us about your Under the Skin product for FAVORIS by MOUSTACHE?
Caroline Ziegler: It was a special project for an auction party with 60 international designers. We made a lamp using fabric from Kvadrat. We layered gold fabric, cardboard and blue fabric. We wanted it to look like an insect. From one angle it looks like an African mask, from another the shape of a woman; it is a very poetic object.
Ziegler and Brichet are currently working on an office-furniture line and a light and furniture line.
vase Fleur de peau, By Hands – Photo Credit: Baptiste Heller
