The e-shop

At any time and any place

Products

Loading&

Astier de Villatte

About the brand

Astier de Villatte is a luxury lifestyle brand from Paris, loved by connoisseurs around the world. Their products radiate a cultural richness ranging from rustic Tibetan elegance to the splendour of the Palais Garnier with its sumptuous parquet floors and opera foyers. Astier de Villatte is celebrated for being the only atelier in Paris to harbour the traditions of artisanal production. Their impressive collection of handmade products is no less than a creative tour de force, ranging from ceramics to candles, cutlery, glassware, stationery, lighting and furniture. By using old artisanal techniques, Astier de Villatte wants to continue the heritage of Paris’ craft workshops while adding a contemporary twist.

Astier de Villatte was cofounded in 1996 by Ivan Pericoli and Benoît Astier de Villatte, together with members of the Astier de Villatte family and friends from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. They started mainly as ceramics makers, using techniques that follow the tradition of the great 18th century Parisian ceramic studios. Today, their ceramic collection contains over 1,500 products ranging from tableware and vases to candle holders.

Fascinated by the Tibetan heritage and worldview, Astier de Villatte opened its ceramic workshop to Tibetan monks not long after it started. Today, a community of around 50 Tibetan artisans works with Astier de Villatte to craft ceramics from black terracotta using a special technique leaving imperfections on the surface. The making of each piece is a lengthy process of weeks and months. Handcrafted and dried naturally, all pieces differ from each other. Their white enamel surprises with bits of brown clay and the occasional bumps, transparencies and small holes are qualities that breathe life and authenticity into each Astier de Villatte ceramic object. All pieces are extremely durable despite their fragile appearance and make wonderful decorative tableware. Their designs are inspired by anything from the past, from any period, starting from the Neolithic to 18th-century European art. Astier de Villatte's ceramic styles, therefore, range from simple to decorative, demonstrating an exquisite mastery of thin clay work. No wonder Astier de Villatte ceramics enjoy such sweeping popularity all over the world.

As their ceramics grew in popularity, Astier de Villatte steadily expanded its product universe, based on explorations of the arts and crafts of various cultures. Every Astier de Villatte product collection is built on deep mutual understanding and a desire to share beautiful things with others. The company has collaborated with a wide range of artisans and artists from big-time maestros to emerging stars. Today, Astier de Villatte has a ceramic, furniture and lighting workshop in Paris with over 50 artisans, a printing house in the suburbs, workshops all over the country and artisanal collaborators around the world. Through this rich network, Astier de Villatte wants to help preserve precious artisanal know-how, which is reflected by every single Astier product.

To produce their scents, for example, Astier de Villatte works together with perfumer Fraçoise Caron from the fragrance company Takasago. Their incense is made by Japanese masters who build on a thousand-year-old tradition. Astier de Villatte candles are made in southern France in a highly artisanal way with the finest ingredients. For its eau de cologne and perfumes, Astier de Villatte collaborates among others with perfumer Dominique Ropion. To develop a hand cream with an incredibly soft texture, the company called on a Swiss laboratory specialised in organic cosmetics. Many of Astier de Villatte's scented products are named after special places, from Aoyama to Tucson, giving their customers a unique olfactory experience of travelling.

Since the beginning, Astier de Villatte also produces furniture objects ranging from tables, chairs and storage cabinets to ceramic ceiling lights and chandeliers. Their original pieces seem to have always existed, evoking the antique designs found in old paintings, and drawing inspiration from the history of decorative arts, folk art and abandoned objects. All of Astier de Villatte's furniture is made in Europe with solid wood which ages beautifully. The pieces are assembled and finished in their Parisian workshop with natural pigments and a colourless wax. Astier de Villatte also produces glassware, which is handblown with a borosilicate base, making each unique piece both extraordinarily light and strong. Their cutlery collection is made in Italy and comes in both shiny and stone stainless steel. Astier de Villatte textile includes tote bags and the iconic Astier aprons which are used in their own ateliers. Again, all textile is locally made in France from a cotton-linen mix and embroidered with the famous golden Astier de Villatte thread.

Since 2000, Astier de Villatte has also used antique printing machines to produce publications and diaries, notebooks and sketchbooks which are known for their vintage covers inspired by old tile patterns. The Astier de Villatte stationary range also contains scented cards, mechanical Japanese pencils, ballpoint pens and erasers with the same fragrances as its scented candles.

All these handcrafted Astier de Villatte pieces big and small make a wonderful gift for collectors, art appreciators and lovers of daily objects with a golden edge. If you want to add an extra sparkle to someone’s life, come and explore Astier de Villatte in our Antwerp store or wander around in the Graanmarkt 13 e-shop.