Louis Monier – Seat carpenter

Île-de-France – 1989

Louis Monier is a seat carpenter. He designs and builds the architecture of the seats in wood, then calls on craftsmen such as upholsterers among others, to complete the pieces.

After an FMA and a DMA (French degrees) at the Ecole Boulle, he has worked at the Mobilier National. In 2013, he founded Atelier Monier specialized in the creation, design and manufacture of seating. Louis Monier is passionate by his know-how. He creates art pieces and takes on commissions for decorators, designers, and interior architects. He makes pieces inspired by the great masters of the 18^th century as well as modern and contemporary pieces.

2019 – Meilleur Ouvrier de France, “Carpentry in seats” category.

2021 – EPV label (Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant).

Research and Innovation

Louis Monier uses software to create the shapes and the architecture of each part of the seats, which are then prototyped using a 3D printer. Thereafter, hand woodworking can begin, using the techniques and tools of the seat carpenter. When he’s not working on commissions, he imagines seats composed of curves that change plane in space, which he describes as ” débillardées”.

Transmission

Committed to passing on his know-how, Louis Monier welcomes students to his workshop every year. He validates the subjects and corrects the CAP exams in the Île-de-France region, he is responsible for the Meilleurs Apprentis de France competitions and is a member of the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France jury. As his trade is becoming less and less practiced, he is one of the last Meilleurs Ouvriers de France in his speciality, making him one of the few ambassadors of seat carpentry.

Fondation Rémy Cointreau has supported Louis Monier in 2021 in the acquisition of wastringues for him and his trainees, an essential tool in the practice of his trade.