JULIEN HARDY
AFTER TWENTY YEARS IN ART DIRECTION, ADVENTURES WITH PAINTING AND AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY, JULIEN HARDY MAKES A CAREER CHANGE AND STARTS IN CABINETMAKING.
APART FROM A FEW EVENING CLASSES, HE LEARNED TRADITIONAL MANUAL CABINETMAKING WITH A FEW BOOKS, AS A SELF-TEACHER.
Initially focused on purely handcrafted cabinetmaking, he explored Shaker furniture, American styles, and then Scandinavian styles. He was influenced by James Krenov and guided by clean lines and demanding, visible joinery.
Through his explorations, he realized that wood is not just a polished and varnished surface, that its vocabulary is broader, that it splits, cracks, and reveals knots. The decision was made to expose the true nature of the living material, from the roughest to the most refined textures, and to offer them up to the eye, to the light, and to its interplay.
Julien works without plans, sometimes with a very vague sketch, a shape, and attempts an intuitive approach to cabinetmaking. He resolves the conflict between improvisation and composition, frame and freedom, to create a raw elegance.
THE COLLECTION
