Julien Lachaud, a creative carpenter who combines tradition with contemporary innovation

Based in the Marais Poitevin in Vendée, Julien transforms wood into narratives. A creative cabinetmaker and Master Craftsman, he is also the winner of the regional Ateliers d’Art de France competition. He designs pieces where the precision of traditional craftsmanship meets carbon fibre, white gold and street art. His projects include monumental bookcases for collectors, columns adorned with ginkgo leaves and restoration of vintage Jaguar woodwork. Each piece tells a story: that of a craftsman who designs furniture as one paints a picture, in a single freehand stroke.

The childhood workbench: the spark that set a life in motion

« Nuance » sideboard ; Julien Lachaud

The story begins at the family workbench near La Roche-sur-Yon. Even as a child, Julien Lachaud was shaping wood with natural ease. “I’ve been working with wood since I was very young. It’s a material I’ve always found easy to work with,” he says. At fifteen, he began an apprenticeship. This was followed by a CAP and then a Master Craftsman’s Certificate in cabinet making. He spent his formative years in small artisanal workshops, honing his craft and its traditions. He then moved on to luxury marine cabinet making, where he learnt to meet zero-defect standards. A serious road accident at the age of twenty-four turned his life upside down. This ordeal brought with it a certainty: to devote his life entirely to creation. In 2009, he opened his own workshop in Nieul-sur-l’Autise, in the heart of the Marais Poitevin.

Furniture like paintings

Julien Lachaud

For Julien Lachaud, it all begins with a sketch on white paper. Freehand, in a single stroke. If the line flows naturally, the design is right. This spontaneous gesture produces pieces with dynamic, geometric lines that reveal the deliberate influence of the automotive world: its curves, innovative materials and the tension between power and lightness.

The ‘Nuances’ sideboard, crafted from solid sycamore wood stained in a gradient of blues and featuring carbon fibre shelves and a textured compressed paper interior, is the perfect example of this inspiration: a piece that takes its cues directly from the lines of a car. “I conceive my pieces as paintings. They are there to enhance a space and convey the story I have given them,” says the cabinetmaker.

The Chantilly-inspired bookcase: ten months of cabinetmaking for a couple of collectors

Julien Lachaud

Among his creations, one commission stands out for its scale and emotional resonance. A couple from the Vendée region commissioned him to create a monumental bookcase spanning an entire wall, standing at six and a half metres high and featuring an integrated balcony. Julien sought inspiration at the Château de Chantilly. He returned with a single sketch.

On the day of the presentation to the owners, a striking coincidence came to light: the sketch echoed the exact spot in the château where the collectors’ second edition book had been kept. Ten months of work followed, involving constant dialogue between history, craftsmanship, and collaboration with other artisans. The result was an extraordinary piece born of a single line and an intuition.

« Concordance »: where white gold meets Art Deco

Concordance, Julien Lachaud

In early 2025, Julien Lachaud created a pair of storage columns for an Art Deco-loving couple. Named ‘Concordance’, this piece is clad in flamed Santos rosewood veneer and features a sycamore interior with drawers. Sixty-four leaves of 13.6-carat white gold ginkgo adorn the fronts, adding a delicate sparkle. “There is something magical about this creation,” says Julien, who recognised a love of nature and flowers in his clients of which they themselves were not fully aware. The artisan-designer does not merely fulfil a commission; he reads a space, captures its invisible soul, and responds with an object that feels like a natural fit.

The Jaguar rescued from the henhouse: the rare art of automotive restoration

Julien Lachaud

There are very few cabinetmakers in France capable of restoring the woodwork of classic cars. Julien Lachaud is one of them. His experience working in naval cabinetmaking has given him a level of rigour that translates perfectly to the automotive world. “The know-how of shipbuilding and motoring is the same,” he explains. The most striking example is a 1966 Jaguar Type E 3.8 that arrived at the workshop by word of mouth. Its owner had pulled it out of a chicken coop. The woodwork was in a disastrous state. Julien restored everything, including the dashboard and door trims, starting with the original veneer. “It’s a craftsman’s car, made by craftsmen,” he says with quiet pride. His recent participation in a classic car show has reinforced his commitment to this path, and today it is an area he is keen to develop.

A designer on the move

Julien Lachaud

The eclecticism evident on his website confirms it. Julien Lachaud refuses to be pigeonholed. From bespoke fittings for Caron, Louis Vuitton and Levi’s to contemporary kitchens in compressed paper and black granite, side tables carved with a gouge and furniture paying homage to Mondrian, each project is uncharted territory. His creations, produced in limited editions or as one-offs, are available at the Empreintes boutique in Paris and in Pézenas, and are showcased at Maison & Objet, Paris Design Week and Tajan and Rennes Enchères. Between a contemporary office, an exceptional kitchen and automotive restoration, the cabinetmaker from the Marais Poitevin continues to push the boundaries of his art. He is always guided by the conviction that drives every move he makes: “What is beautiful never goes out of fashion.”