PARIS FRANCE
Trained not only at Penninghen, but also at the Ecole Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris, Martin Massé worked with such greats as Joseph Dirand, Tristan Auer and Jean-Michel Wilmotte, before launching his own business in 2017. Aged 33, this Nantes native, now based in Paris, decided to combine traditional French craftsmanship with ultra-contemporary design. On the agenda? Simple, pure proportions, combined with top-of-the-range materials, influenced by ancient Italian architecture, Japanese craftsmanship and the Art Deco movement, as well as science fiction, travel, poetry and cinema.
.
One of his finest creations is “Maen”. An elegant collection featuring black lacquer. It covers a coffee table, “COFFEE TABLE 02”, with a wide, asymmetrical top, whose silhouette is echoed not only on the dining table, but also on the pedestal table.
A second pedestal table, soberly named “GUERIDON 2”, features two half-spheres, again draped in deep black. Japanese inspirations are clearly evident on “ARMCHAIR”, or the chairs, whose backs are reduced to a strict spine.
Another project, another material with “AGATHA”, which focuses on oak and Lens stone, among other materials. This limestone gives shape to a curvaceous console table, whose rounded shape is echoed in the stool from the same collection. The stone is also recognisable on the tabletop, supported by an oak frame.
On the seating side, “AGATHA” also offers a mischievous-looking armchair, whose two armrests evoke two fluffy animal pastes. A row of small globes on both sides of the seat reinforces this childlike feeling. Finally, a series of chairs with cloudy seats and backrests draped in white fabric completes this immaculate, mischievous universe.