Inspiration

Wood and Wicker: Creativity at its Roots

May 2025

4 min.

One prefers wicker, the other wood: two women working hand-in-hand with Mother Nature, each applying her artistic talent to shape her favorite material.

Two artists, two different approaches, yet the same common thread: harnessing local natural resources to bring depth and meaning to the concept of craftsmanship.

Their skilled hands transform wood and wicker into both beautiful everyday objects and works of art. Let us dive into a world where natural materials inspire creations that stand the test of time.

Yann-Marie: people and plants intertwined

“I like to combine art and materials to build bridges between people and the plant world.”

After setting up shop in Gruffy a year ago, Yann-Marie has breathed new life into the ancestral craft of wicker weaving. Her workshop, nestled in a peaceful location, incredibly verdant in early spring, is where she combines art and materials to build bridges between people and plants.

From baskets to indoor and outdoor furniture, to gazebos or plant mazes, by way of educational projects for schools, classes, entertainment, and demonstrations, she loves the inherent variety of her profession. She also enjoys sharing her passion and knowledge with others. The classes she teaches in Gruffy once per month are popular and fill up as soon as she posts the dates and registration forms online.

“A wicker rod passes through my hands at least two-dozen times before it becomes a basket,” she explains. Her precise, patient, and repetitive movements continue to shape, weave, and revive this ancestral expertise.

February to early April represents a unique time of year for Yann-Marie, one where she works with living willow. During this short but intense season, she designs and makes huts, gazebos, tunnels, and mazes. Every project begins by carefully studying the soil, followed by selecting the best type of willow for the job; Yann-Marie uses no fewer than eighteen varieties, each chosen for its shape, pliability, and color. She then makes a detailed sketch based on the type of weave she plans to use, applying traditional wicker techniques to avoid the need for a support structure.

Ancestral techniques give life to the living, plant-based structures, both sturdy and poetic. A hut can be completed in a single day, often alone, sometimes with clients, in an educational and participative atmosphere. Once in place, the structure requires trimming once per year, which Yann-Marie can also manage. This very detail-oriented work requires long and meticulous preparation: the willow is cut in December, preserved in water for living structures, or sorted, measured, and dried in her barn. She can even fashion the rods into a specific shape.

“Once upon a time, there was a basket weaver in every village. Today, there are barely 200 of us in France.” The profession nearly disappeared with the rise of plastic containers, but is now enjoying a remarkable revival, especially at high-end establishments like gourmet restaurants, where the number of partnerships continues to grow. Yann-Marie just signed a contract to make an arch for ANTO, a restaurant in Annecy, and is also preparing to make an acoustic ceiling for the Auberge du Pont de l’Abime restaurant and hotel in Gruffy.

Learn more about this rare expertise by taking a class or visiting Yann-Marie’s workshop in Gruffy.

Vannerie Yann-Marie

Atelier Ruca: where wood inspires creativity

Our creative journey continues, this time in Entrevernes, where Léa, who fell in love with the region, chose to settle down seven years ago. She took advantage of the move to change careers from full-time photographer to pursue her other passion: woodworking.

It turns out that working with her hands is a family tradition: she grew up watching her father work with and craft wood into all sorts of objects. The texture, smell, and unique grain of this soft, friendly material have always fascinated Léa, and she enjoys discovering new aspects of wood through every one of her creations. Whether objects, tableware, or interior decorations, she sculpts, shapes, sands, polishes, assembles, and explores wood’s many curves, using her inspiration to craft unique pieces.

“I don’t claim to be a cabinet or furniture maker. I’m self-taught and have no official degree; I simply create wood objects based on what inspires me at a given time.”

Ash, oak, or walnut, and every other variety of wood she uses come from sustainable, eco-friendly sources. She prefers salvaged wood from old furniture, crossbeams, or planks that she finds at garage sales and flea markets. The shape, grain, or even history of the wood serves as inspiration for her creations: vases, dishes, cutting boards, candlesticks, and small decorative objects.

Some of Léa’s pieces have made their way onto the tables of several renowned restaurants. For example, she worked with Chef Clement Briand-Seurat to make bowls, napkin rings, appetizer-serving branches, and platters for Céna, a restaurant in Montpellier.

Working with chefs does come with certain conditions, like strict compliance with health and safety standards. Nevertheless, Léa finds the exercise of co-creating stimulating. She explains, “The original request often changes over time after several conversations with the chef. This requires me to adapt in order to exceed initial expectations, and to go above and beyond what I would have imagined all by myself.”

She also makes custom orders for individuals and professionals, always sticking to her core values and style. Just a quick visit to her website or Instagram page provides a glimpse into her sense of esthetics and the attention she pays to even the smallest of details.

Atelier Ruca