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Simplicity, authenticity, small series, these words resonate with Balzac Paris. The work of Justine Lacoste and her husband Jean with Epure ceramic is a perfect illustration of this! Designed and imagined in their workshop located in the heart of the Charente countryside, their porcelain objects are the result of artisanal work.
Epure Céramique has a nice story, how did it all start?
Epure was born following a period of personal and professional research. After meeting different people from the world of ceramics and training myself, it seemed obvious and natural to continue, I had found my "way":)
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
My sources of inspiration are multiple. Curious by nature, I am a great observer (training as an anthropologist obliges: ) )..., a detail on a dress, a place, my entourage, works of art or, and I believe the essential, nature which remains an inexhaustible playground.
Even if we are all influenced by the trend, fashion, I try to trust my instinct and especially my desire.
What is your typical day like?
Loaded! I wake up around 7:30 a.m. and after a great breakfast (essential for me), a morning chat with Jean, my husband and collaborator, a hug to my cats and dog. It's off to the workshop; which is attached to our house, where we start producing for orders placed. These are busy days because today Epure has grown and it is no longer just about production, the administrative part, communication, but also management and production of stocks takes a very important part.
The day is punctuated by moments of tea break and debriefing.
End of the day, place to the ballad which is for us a necessity. We are lucky to live in a beautiful place surrounded by nature, you just have to cross the field to be in the forest.
Tell us about the life of the product?
Between the idea and the realization it's a long time because the porcelain that I work essentially is a capricious material and it is not very docile.
It deforms during cooking, does not always take the shape you want at the start.
It is therefore a reconciliation between her and my desire.
So after a lot of trials, we produce either a casting or stamping mold or we turn on a potter's wheel. It depends on what you want. The pieces are left to dry slowly so as not to rush the drying and create cracks.
We cook for the first time, smart cooking which consists of drying the piece at around 800 degrees so that it becomes porous; once out of the oven, we sand the pieces to remove any small defects and enamel it. This consists of soaking these parts in a liquid which deposits a fine layer of dust and which, when cooked at high temperature, becomes the enamel, that is to say the shiny appearance that we see on the parts (there is also matte-looking enamels).
For a perfect finish in our workshop, we sand all the parts of the non-enamelled parts one last time so as to have a soft touch, it takes us time but I particularly want it.
Then the joys of wrapping and the tetris game to avoid breakage begins :)
You have chosen to work with ceramics, are there other materials that you would like to work with?
I like everything ! Wool, fabric, wood; the iron is horrible my wrists hurt so much my hands are useful in everything I do.
Right now, I'm expecting a baby, and I'm about to make a knit blanket, I like everything that is manual and that allows you to give free rein to your imagination.
As for the earth, I love it deeply, I love what it represents, what it allows.
Starting from a simple piece of land and ending up eating in it is great, isn't it?
In the Proust way
A shape ? A circle
A place ? The sea
A period ? 1930s for clothing and 18th for decorative pieces
A book ? I love to read, it's a visceral need so I necessarily have several in mind, the one that comes to me first without thinking is Hello sadness by Sagan, but when I read it again I also think of Coeur cousu by Carole Martinez that I loved.
Your dream of happiness? A simple happiness: stay yourself, respect yourself, do what you love and laugh!
The person you admire the most? Alexandra David-Néel for her courage, her determination, her need for personal achievement.
Your favorite piece this season? I love your selection: really; ) and I just fell in love with pumps that I find both simple and very original: the purple Madeleines.
Your currency ? Listen to yourself, follow your instincts and trust in life
Epure Céramique has a nice story, how did it all start?
Epure was born following a period of personal and professional research. After meeting different people from the world of ceramics and training myself, it seemed obvious and natural to continue, I had found my "way":)
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
My sources of inspiration are multiple. Curious by nature, I am a great observer (training as an anthropologist obliges: ) )..., a detail on a dress, a place, my entourage, works of art or, and I believe the essential, nature which remains an inexhaustible playground.
Even if we are all influenced by the trend, fashion, I try to trust my instinct and especially my desire.
What is your typical day like?
Loaded! I wake up around 7:30 a.m. and after a great breakfast (essential for me), a morning chat with Jean, my husband and collaborator, a hug to my cats and dog. It's off to the workshop; which is attached to our house, where we start producing for orders placed. These are busy days because today Epure has grown and it is no longer just about production, the administrative part, communication, but also management and production of stocks takes a very important part.
The day is punctuated by moments of tea break and debriefing.
End of the day, place to the ballad which is for us a necessity. We are lucky to live in a beautiful place surrounded by nature, you just have to cross the field to be in the forest.
Tell us about the life of the product?
Between the idea and the realization it's a long time because the porcelain that I work essentially is a capricious material and it is not very docile.
It deforms during cooking, does not always take the shape you want at the start.
It is therefore a reconciliation between her and my desire.
So after a lot of trials, we produce either a casting or stamping mold or we turn on a potter's wheel. It depends on what you want. The pieces are left to dry slowly so as not to rush the drying and create cracks.
We cook for the first time, smart cooking which consists of drying the piece at around 800 degrees so that it becomes porous; once out of the oven, we sand the pieces to remove any small defects and enamel it. This consists of soaking these parts in a liquid which deposits a fine layer of dust and which, when cooked at high temperature, becomes the enamel, that is to say the shiny appearance that we see on the parts (there is also matte-looking enamels).
For a perfect finish in our workshop, we sand all the parts of the non-enamelled parts one last time so as to have a soft touch, it takes us time but I particularly want it.
Then the joys of wrapping and the tetris game to avoid breakage begins :)
You have chosen to work with ceramics, are there other materials that you would like to work with?
I like everything ! Wool, fabric, wood; the iron is horrible my wrists hurt so much my hands are useful in everything I do.
Right now, I'm expecting a baby, and I'm about to make a knit blanket, I like everything that is manual and that allows you to give free rein to your imagination.
As for the earth, I love it deeply, I love what it represents, what it allows.
Starting from a simple piece of land and ending up eating in it is great, isn't it?
In the Proust way
A shape ? A circle
A place ? The sea
A period ? 1930s for clothing and 18th for decorative pieces
A book ? I love to read, it's a visceral need so I necessarily have several in mind, the one that comes to me first without thinking is Hello sadness by Sagan, but when I read it again I also think of Coeur cousu by Carole Martinez that I loved.
Your dream of happiness? A simple happiness: stay yourself, respect yourself, do what you love and laugh!
The person you admire the most? Alexandra David-Néel for her courage, her determination, her need for personal achievement.
Your favorite piece this season? I love your selection: really; ) and I just fell in love with pumps that I find both simple and very original: the purple Madeleines.
Your currency ? Listen to yourself, follow your instincts and trust in life