MILAN — United under one cultural body, France’s furniture and ceramics industries are ready to face a new chapter of globalization as an even bigger force and a cohesive strategy.
“The national manufactures and workshops share many commonalities: an approach rooted in long-term excellence, mastery of artistic crafts, and a role in furnishing the emblematic spaces of the Republic. This new structure would provide greater visibility for our professions and missions, facilitating future budget negotiations,” Hervé Lemoine, a renowned archivist and chairman of the newly married entities Mobilier National and Cité de la Céramique — Sèvres et Limoges, told WWD.
Combined, the institutions are now known as Manufactures Nationales — Sèvres & Mobilier National.
Years of talks went into joining the two institutions, one of them dating back to the height of the French monarchy. Mobilier National, the French national furniture institution that has been supporting arts and crafts since the 17th century, is said to have been created in 1663 by Louis XIV as a former furniture storage unit for the monarchy. It preserves 130,000 antique and contemporary furnishings and objets d’art.
The Cité de la Céramique — Sèvres et Limoges is a public institution that was created in January 2010 and brings together three key ceramics, pottery and porcelain bodies: Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, a famous porcelain factory in Sèvres, Musée National de Céramique, a ceramics museum in Sèvres that showcases ceramic art, and the Musée National de la Porcelaine Adrien-Dubouché, a museum in Limoges dedicated to porcelain.
A table setting with Bernardaud porcelain made in Limoges, France, a region thick with forests and fresh waterways, ideal for producing fine porcelain.
Courtesy of Bernardaud
The Strategy
One of the institution’s main goals moving forward is to open a public apprentice training center in 2025 dedicated to reviving training programs for crafts that have lost their traditional teaching structures.
“However, for the broader sector — comprising hundreds of thousands of small and medium-sized artistic craft businesses — it is essential to continue raising awareness among young people, particularly in middle and high schools, and to maintain financial support for micro-enterprises,” Lemoine explained, adding that his organization launched an initiative called “Je Tisse Picasso” [French for “I weave Picasso”] in rural areas, introducing students to tapestry-making in collaboration with the L’Or dans les Mains association and the Picasso Foundation.
Unlike Italy, where globalization has endangered artisan craft, France doesn’t struggle to attract new talent.
“Quite the opposite! We receive more applications than we can accommodate. This is largely because we are a public institution where artisans are civil servants, benefiting from job security and stable salaries, which in turn allows for excellence in craftsmanship,” he said.
Under the fortified institution, they now have an expanded budget of 51 million euros, up from 47 million euros last year, considering the combined budgets.
The two entities were united in January and unveiled as a united organization by Rachida Dati, the French minister of culture.
The idea for the merger gained momentum when the Ministry of Culture launched its National Strategy for Artistic Crafts with the mission of safeguarding the historical identity and transmitting exceptional craftsmanship in service of contemporary creation in all its forms.
“The challenges, of course, were to execute this project in record time for the French administration — just two years from the minister’s initial mandate — while navigating a complex political and budgetary context,” Lemoine added.
A gilder named Stéphanie brushes golden dust onto a molded oak design.
Courtesy of Féau Boiseries
New Standards
Mobilier National has been managing and preserving historical furniture and furnishings within public buildings — the Elysée, the presidential palace, among them. In a modern world, emerging design names like Aline Asmar d’Amman, Sinople Studio, and Appartement 2 have seen their pieces chosen for their roster after a careful process. The same criteria will be implemented in the case of porcelain, ceramics and pottery.
“Pieces are chosen by an expert jury based on several factors. Aesthetics, of course, play a role, but durability is just as crucial — both in terms of repairability (ensuring a piece can be restored and last for centuries) and sustainable material use,” Lemoine detailed.
One of its latest acquisitions was a lamp made from recycled seashells sourced from restaurant waste; furniture crafted from Drop Cake, which consists of 80 percent recycled materials, and even a chair upholstered with leather that was initially destined for disposal. “The core mission remains unchanged: supporting contemporary and emerging creators, ensuring the talents of tomorrow can flourish,” he concluded.
Upcoming events include the 100th anniversary of Art Deco; the organization plans to lend its Art Deco pieces to partner institutions such as the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and historic monuments. The idea is to revisit the spirit of Art Deco by inviting 10 pairs of designers and artisans to propose their vision of a “2025 style.” This initiative, titled “Les Nouveaux Ensembliers,” will be unveiled at the Galerie des Gobelins in October and November 2025.
“Once again, our goal is not just to celebrate history, but to support and inspire new creative voices,” Lemoine said.
Aline Asmar d’Amman is one of the latest designers to see her work inducted into the Mobilier National in a modern age.
Courtesy of Culture in Architecture
The Economy’s Backbone
In France, small and medium-sized firms represent the backbone of the economy.
Despite the impact of rising inflation and shipping costs, the world of French handmade goods — from its wine to its porcelain — is holding strong.
In November, Institut pour les Savoir-Faire Français, formerly known as the Institut National des Métiers d’Art, said France’s specialized craftsmanship sector now generates more revenues than the pharmaceutical industry.
Spanning 234,000 companies, the category produces combined revenues of 68 billion euros, according to the study published with market research firm Xerfi Specific and which quantified the work of manual activities via a broad survey of skilled artisans such as woodworkers, stone cutters, leather-goods makers, weavers, glassblowers and more. By comparison, the pharma sector generated revenues of 62 billion euros in 2022, according to French pharmaceutical lobby Leem.
