Elen Gavillet Contemporary Design Studio and Furniture Portfolio

Elen Gavillet is a distinguished Franco-Swiss designer who founded her independent studio in 2018. After graduating from the Saint-Étienne Higher School of Art and Design (ESADSE) in 2015 and gaining professional experience at the EOOS Design studio in Vienna, she established a practice that spans furniture design, scenography, and object creation. Based in France and Switzerland, her work is deeply rooted in the preservation of ancestral know-how and the exploration of materials through a contemporary lens. Elen Gavillet describes her creations as "objets-temples," which serve as containers for personal memories and spiritual fragments within the domestic environment. Her philosophy centers on the concept of the "second skin," where objects are treated as living entities that integrate into the user's daily life. This approach is evident in projects like the award-winning Cosse vase, which earned second prize in the "La Boule Art Déco" competition by Émaux de Longwy. Other notable works include the Otto bench, designed for the Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne, and the Olumine chandelier, produced in collaboration with the Verreries de Bréhat. In addition to her design practice, Elen Gavillet is committed to education, currently teaching in the Master Design of Object program at ESADSE. Her projects often involve collaborations with specialized craftsmen, aiming to push the boundaries of traditional techniques to find new formal horizons and sustainable applications. Through pieces like the Mont blanket and the Silex series, she continues to investigate the relationship between the real and the imaginary, shifting the focus from pure functionality to sensory experience.