LP Design : a cactus called ‘Mirage’

To understand LP Design, we have to go back a few decades.

In 1981, Joël Duchesne established a metalwork business in Touraine. Over the years, the workshop has developed its skills and invested in various areas of expertise, ranging from locksmithing and conservatories to industrial work, laser cutting, bending, welding, drilling, forming and assembly.

His son Loïc joined the business at the age of eighteen. The handover began on the shop floor, working alongside the machinery and teams. The principle was that one must understand how things are made before designing or managing.

In 2012, Loïc took over the reins of the family business in turn. Patricia Poinsaut joined the company in 2010. She discovered a world whose codes she had not yet mastered, but which she would gradually make her own: steel, aluminium, stainless steel, Corten steel, copper and brass. She learnt about the materials, technical constraints and manufacturing possibilities, and above all, the moment when an idea must move from drawing to reality.

LP Design was born from this meeting of imagination and craftsmanship.

The idea for the cacti came from Patricia’s travels and observations. While in Morocco, Spain and the south of France, Patricia noticed metal sculptures installed in gardens. She then envisaged creating a piece for her own outdoor space, which she discussed with her partner, Loïc.

The first prototype was created in 2019. It could have remained in their garden. However, when it was photographed in distinctive locations, the response was immediate. The prototype eventually became the first in a series. Between July 2019 and January 2020, the range expanded to include branch-shaped and ball-shaped cacti in various sizes and silhouettes. This new venture needed a name. LP Design was chosen: L for Loïc and P for Patricia.

A few months later, in January 2020, the brand presented its first creations at the Maison&Objet trade fair in Paris. The project then grew in scale: what had initially been an idea for a couple became a fully-fledged collection of furniture and home décor.

LP Design’s work focuses particularly on creating a dialogue between form and material.

Aluminium offers lightness and corrosion resistance. It is used to create cacti in the shape of branches and balls, as well as tall palm trees, all with coloured finishes suitable for outdoor use. Some models can incorporate LED lighting.

Corten steel plays a completely different role. When exposed to the elements, it gradually develops a warm, nuanced patina. Each piece evolves over time in response to its environment.

Then there is the mirror-polished stainless steel of the Cactus Mirage, which is shiny, reflective and almost ethereal.

However, cacti are only one part of the LP Design universe. The catalogue also includes furniture, planters, garden features, decorative leaves, origami-inspired metal animals, and a range of homeware.

Ultimately, this diversity tells the same story: a company that takes inspiration from metal but refuses to be confined by it. “I didn’t go to design school; I work on instinct,” explains Patricia. An idea springs to mind, moves into the design phase and then into production, evolving until it finds its final form. This freedom lies at the heart of LP Design’s identity.

LP Design conceives the designs, which are then manufactured at the Duchesne workshops in Château-Renault, a few kilometres from Vouvray.

It is there that ideas become reality: sheets of metal are formed into curves, assemblies take shape, and raw materials are transformed into objects designed to withstand the elements or complement an interior for years to come.

This close link between design and manufacture is one of the brand’s strengths. It enables the company to work on bespoke projects and meet the needs of professionals, including architects, landscape architects, interior designers, hotels, restaurants, and concept stores, as well as private individuals.

LP Design also prides itself on a direct-to-consumer sales model, which enables it to maintain close connections with clients and the intended recipients of its creations.

In 2025, LP Design took a new step forward, becoming LP Design France, a fully-fledged company led by Patricia Poinsaut.

Production remains based in Touraine, while the brand is gradually establishing its own niche in French decorative design at the intersection of craftsmanship, industry, and contemporary creation.

And metal may well be just the beginning.

Patricia is already envisaging new collaborations and materials, such as wood and stone.

The aim is not simply to increase the number of items in the catalogue, but to build a coherent universe over time that can embrace other forms, skills and craftspeople.

The Cactus Mirage embodies this philosophy perfectly. It is simultaneously a feat of craftsmanship, a decorative sculpture and a surface open to its surroundings.

To discover the Cactus Mirage, as well as the aluminium and Corten steel cacti, furniture, Origami collections and garden features, simply step inside LP Design. The website showcases this entire world, conceived and crafted in Touraine, as well as the possibilities for bespoke projects.