What narratives do materials carry, and how can the visible "traces" of artisans engage in a dialogue with manufacturing processes and industrialization? Between design and construction, the act of thinking through making can become a guiding principle for a design philosophy. Combining wood, industrial materials, and reused objects, Atelier CRAFT's approach is rooted in reversible architecture, guided by its manifesto: "Transform design through making." Based in Saint-Ouen, Paris, the practice explores the relationships between humans and materials, the act of making, and manufacturing processes.
Founded in 2016, Atelier CRAFT focuses on projects at the intersection of architecture, design, and scenography across cultural, commercial, and social contexts. It also explores circularity, with particular attention to the reuse of objects, assemblies, materials, and craftsmanship. Breaking down the silos between disciplines, each project presents an opportunity to craft a shared narrative and develop new ways of working together.
One project that encapsulates the studio's philosophy is AMBACTOS, Tomorrow's Embassy Kitchen (2025). Recognizing that the transmission of culture and craftsmanship depends on valuing those who create, the project places workers at the heart of the diplomatic representation. Here, the kitchen becomes a space for hospitality and a stage for French culinary arts.
The studio rethinks the concept of ornamentation through the lens of contemporary issues, redefining the visual language of power and representation. Raw materials, craftsmanship, manual skill, technical expertise, and environmental responsibility become defining elements of diplomatic spaces. For example, a timber structure made from reclaimed oak recovered during the dismantling of an old farm forms the structure of the reception pavilion, while a mold for a vase from the Manufacture of Sèvres is reinterpreted as a suspended light fixture.
In conversation with Atelier CRAFT, we delve deeper into their creative process, how they bring new life to different elements through craftsmanship, and the value of the artisan's touch in architectural practice today.
ArchDaily (Agustina Iñiguez): How does your creative design process begin? What cultural, social, or economic factors inspire your work?
Atelier CRAFT: Our design process always begins with a story: we research historical, social, and cultural narratives. This is why our choices for each project or client are always grounded in the context, either with materials or historical references. After years of making, we've also begun to define a constructive language and recognize our obsessions: the repurposing of objects, the beauty of raw material, and craft.
We summarize our philosophy in one sentence: Transform design through making.
AD: What role does craftsmanship play in your projects, and how does it impact the architectural experience?
AC: We have a hybrid creative practice of designer/maker. Bringing together the design and the making has always been a guiding principle since the beginning. It is also what brought us together in the first place: the need to challenge our fields of work, to break down boundaries between architecture, design and craftsmanship.
Having our design studio and workshop intertwined allows us to create in a very organic way and with great freedom: we don't need to draw everything because most design solutions emerge in the workshop while experimenting.
To be honest, we have never defined ourselves as artisans, as our goal is not to develop specific skills within a particular field. However, we are influenced by craftsmanship because of the special relationship it fosters with materials and manufacturing processes.
Since we're committed to making the structure, the materials, the components, and all technical aspects very visible and understandable, it probably impacts the architectural experience. We are often told about a supposed "craft aesthetic," but the result is nothing more than a consequence of our process. We simply seek to ensure the reversibility of our projects and bring transparency to the construction process, showing how things are made.
AD: In several of your projects, raw materials, the artisan's touch, technical skill, and environmental responsibility take center stage; what added value does reuse provide? How are the materials to be reused defined and sourced?
AC: Over the years, we have narrowed down our options for sourcing materials to five: rent (for ephemeral projects), borrow (from our client or a supplier), buy secondhand, source from our own workshop stock, or buy new, while always ensuring the possibility of reversibility. Depending on the project, we try to find the right process around one or several of these options.
Even though this environmental commitment runs through all our projects, it is not an end in itself. It does not exempt us from telling a story, creating desirable imaginaries, or being innovative.
Existing objects provide historical connections that probably would not have occurred to us if we'd had to design the object from scratch. It's an endless source of inspiration for the studio. For us, using antique objects or elements is our way of preserving and paying tribute to craft traditions and the artisans who made these pieces. However, we always seek to avoid creating pastiches; the existing material or object remains a starting point that we must transpose into our era for modern uses.
AD: Between design and execution, how are materials and their manufacturing processes integrated into the spatial experience? How is the dialogue between craftsmanship and industrial systems constructed?
AC: Our work sits between manual and semi-industrial. Industry is fascinating because of its efficiency and optimization, but its limitation lies in the lack of adaptability to specific contexts. It tends to de-specify everything. DIY, on the other hand, guarantees uniqueness but is difficult to reproduce. We aim to question the industry, reclaim its know-how, and see how it can be applied at smaller, more contextual scales. By mixing both worlds, craftsmanship and mass production, we can imagine optimized yet contextualized responses.
For example, in our latest project for Birkenstock (September 2025), we chose to work with recycled cork, since our client was a cork sole manufacturer. Associated with complementary industrial materials (aluminum mason's rule and MDF), we tried to make the concept visible so that everyone can intuitively understand how the objects and furniture are made. All the spaces we create must serve as vehicles for the narratives.
AD: How do you approach circularity—balancing structural integrity and functionality—to build a distinct identity for each space?
AC: For us, there is no contradiction in using existing, reused, or stock materials for new projects with distinct identities. Since we work with raw materials, we can transform them as we want so they contribute to new narratives and sustainable visions. Circularity is a prerequisite; it doesn't dictate the space. Materials circulate, but the narrative and the uses are singular for each project.
AD: Just as Palanquin 1804-2024 highlights a hybridization of timeframes, techniques, and materials to forge a new, imaginative vision within your practice, how do the stories of past eras engage in dialogue with the contemporary present through the work of the artisan?
AC: On this particular project Palanquin 1804-2024, it was interesting to work with a prestigious, well-crafted piece of furniture from the 19th century. Before receiving it in our workshop, we had only seen it in pictures and didn't know what we were going to do with it. When we got it, the fact that it was handcrafted made us realize what could or couldn't be done with it in order to respect the artisans' work. At that time, it was designed to be completely disassembled. Despite being 220 years old, the desk was still in one piece and in excellent condition. Our idea was to honor the skills of its makers while incorporating our own touch.
We reassembled it with a new structure that gives a fresh narrative and a new purpose, yet it can be reassembled exactly as it was originally.
In this way, our purpose is to create timeless objects and spaces that draw on the past, which we try to adapt into present uses so that it can endure into the future. Our work attempts to conciliate these three timeframes.
AD: What do you envision for the future of craftsmanship, and how might it be further integrated into the built environment?
First of all, we hope for a reconciliation between the mind and the hand, in the way we approach design at Atelier CRAFT. We hope that disciplines such as craftsmanship, design and architecture will be more permeable and we advocate for more transversality between practices.
AC: This means that craft-based learning undoubtedly needs to be reintroduced into architecture programs. The scale, timelines, and economics of today's building production force us to rely on methods that are as industrial as possible. Turning toward the rehabilitation of older buildings aligns with our practice on a more architectural scale.
Transforming existing structures requires constant adaptation, which leads to more craftsmanship, or at least to a mix between craftsmanship and industry. Crafting requires experimenting with agility and always adapting. It's about the process more than the result. And this may be applied to all scales, if we're willing to put in the resources and the time.
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topic: The Architecture of Craft: Handmade Stories in a Digital Age. Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and architecture projects. We invite you to learn more about our ArchDaily Topics. And, as always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us.
