CRAFSTMANSHIP

Craftsmanship is at the heart of Garnier & Linker’s work. From their early days and their tour of workshops across France, through to their collaborations with Japanese artisans, they have always been passionate about reinventing traditional craftsmanship.

A “TOUR DE FRANCE”

Upon graduating with degrees in interior architecture design, Guillaume Garnier and Florent Linker already had a particular interest in craftsmanship and experimenting with materials. Their desire to work closely with the artisans who bring these techniques to life prompted them to immediately set out on a tour of workshops across France—a journey that would become their “Tour de France of Craftsmanship.” 

The months spent on the road interacting with artisans have allowed them to discover rare, sometimes nearly forgotten skills, as well as passionate men and women.

The desire to reinterpret the techniques they observed in contemporary designs will give life not only to the first Garnier & Linker collection but also to what will become their signature style.

Stacks of rusted steel molds on wooden pallets in an industrial storage area.
Interior of a woodworking or furniture workshop with a staircase, wooden planks, and furniture pieces, including a table with a curved wooden base.
Person wearing white gloves carving or chiseling a piece of stone or plaster with a tool in a workshop.
A person operating a metalworking machine, wearing a dark long-sleeve shirt and an apron, holding a yellowish rectangular object under the machine's spinning blade.
Workspace with numerous unshaped ceramic vases and objects on a wooden surface, with shelves and boxes in the background, tools, and coils hanging on the wall.
A pottery artist's workspace with a large, partially finished ceramic vessel resting on a dusty table, surrounded by tools, fabrics, and construction debris. The space has a rustic, weathered appearance with stone walls and various decorative plaster
Close-up of a person using a bench grinder with a red abrasive wheel, holding a metal piece to grind it, in a workshop setting.
A man in protective glasses and a long leather apron cutting metal with an industrial saw, producing sparks and heat in a workshop.
Close-up of a person wearing gloves handling a glass object, possibly a mold or sculpture, on a table in a workshop or studio.

AN INVITATION FROM JAPAN

The Japanese adventure began in 2025, when Guillaume Garnier and Florent Linker traveled to Japan at the invitation of the City of Kyoto. Concerned about the gradual disappearance of craft traditions—some dating back a thousand years—city officials sought to breathe new life into these techniques by finding new applications for them.

Chosen for their connection to traditional craftsmanship, Garnier & Linker began working with one, and then a dozen, workshops specializing in materials as varied as paper, ceramics, lacquer, and pewter.

The most influential collaborations have given rise to permanent collections, such as the KITAYAMA furniture line, which has been reinterpreting Kitayama cedar since 2016, or, more recently, the KAMI and NEZU collections, which offer a contemporary take on urushi lacquer and pewter, respectively.

The commonalities between French and Japanese craftsmanship, as well as their fundamental differences, continue to inspire Garnier & Linker on a daily basis.

A dense forest on a hillside with tall evergreen trees and straight dark tree trunks.
A person wearing a face mask and black jacket, holding a bowl of black ink or paint, and using a brush to paint or write on a surface.
Person wearing gloves and working on a wooden board in a workshop.
A person shaping a metal object using a hammer and anvil, with tools resting on a wooden stand nearby.
A man points at a large, leaning tree with lush green foliage in a scenic mountain landscape.
A person wearing a blue checkered shirt and a tan apron holding a large, shallow metal bowl in front of a wooden wall.
A person wearing a black jacket and jeans is standing at a workbench, holding a photograph or print and possibly examining or working on it. The background consists of wooden paneling.
A woodworking tool wall with hand saws, chisels, pliers, and other woodworking tools organized on a wooden pegboard and shelves.

LES GRANGES, THE STARTING AND ENDING POINT OF THE PROCESS

The Garnier & Linker workshop, a central element of the process, plays a role both before and after the work of the artisans in France and Japan. The master models—the reference versions that serve as the basis for all reproductions—are produced with precision at the Garnier & Linker workshop.

Artisans in France and Japan then meticulously produce the glass, plaster, bronze, stone, or alabaster that will be used for the final models.

These components are then assembled into structures, patinated, electrified, and repackaged at the Garnier & Linker workshop.

The new workshop, opened in 2024 near the Forest of Fontainebleau, is called Les Granges.

MORE ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
Interior of a woodworking or carpentry workshop with exposed wooden ceiling beams, shelves with materials, and workbenches with tools and equipment.
A white cylindrical container with a cloudy, marbled appearance, standing on a white surface. A person wearing black gloves is handling something at the top of the container.
A person wearing black gloves holding a tall, cylindrical gold-colored object, inspecting it closely in a workshop environment.
Person wearing black gloves assembling a modern gold-colored lamp with a circular base and a vertical rod.
Close-up of a metal woodworking miter gauge on a wooden workbench.