Elpe

In search of excellence in the mastery of materials. ELPE occupies the space between industry and craftsmanship. Having developed in the heart of Northern Europe, on the Franco-Belgian border, this independent company, originally specialising in fitting out commercial spaces with modular furniture, now offers a collection of furniture created using its expertise in decorative ironwork and cabinet-making. The creative approach is deliberately marked by modernity and its first focus is on complete mastery of the materials – steel and wood. The factory, run by Olivier Fournier and equipped with high-performance tools, has put back into the heart of the industrial process the human passion for quality craftsmanship – knowledge, artistic skill and pride in beauty and flawless production. A company in tune with its time. Incorporating new lifestyles, tackling the new challenges of a sustainable economy and offering a comprehensive service were not enough for our president, a devotee of French Art Deco, he says – he also wanted to work with contemporary creative intelligence by incorporating talented designers, and their poetry and sense of innovation. For this first collection, "Je", Olivier Fournier called on a young design team, based a few kilometres from his company, the piKs agency. The brief given to them was simple: design furniture made exclusively from wood and lacquered metal, emphasising the material and talented craftsmanship.