Among the guides to craftspeople in Paris, the Le Briand workshops are featured in Nathalie Zaouati’s guide Dis, Paris, qu’est-ce que tu fabriques?.
Author
Nathalie Zaouati
Date
2019
Publisher
Rue de l’Échiquier
About the guide “Dis, Paris, qu’est-ce que tu fabriques?”
This guide invites you to meet craftspeople who make, live and sell in Paris, neighborhood by neighborhood.
As the pages and arrondissements unfold, the author introduces dozens of rare and valuable crafts:
- hat maker
- jeweler
- leatherworker
- picture framer
- watchmaker
- luthier
- preserve maker
- cheesemaker…
- along with their skills and one-of-a-kind creations.
In pictures
An excerpt about the Le Briand workshops
A mattress for life
You can call him Mr. Le Briand, as all his customers do, even though it is not actually his name. He adopted it when he took over the company of that name.
After a career as an engineer, this craftsman returned to the family tradition and took over the business that had been passed down from generation to generation since 1880.
[…]
Support and surface feel: two cardinal virtues of a mattress
The Le Briand company specializes in bedding: bed bases, headboards and, of course, mattresses.
The two experts can bring an old box spring back to life. They begin by stripping it bare, fill it with tow—raw flax fiber—install the springs, then finish it by covering it with decorative upholstery fabric.
The mattress, however, is the centerpiece. Its essential materials are ticking and wool.
The surface feel […] of a wool mattress is always soft.
When it comes to support, […] anything is possible, depending on your expectations and body shape.
[…]
A heritage workshop
Historically, mattress making was an itinerant trade practiced by a husband-and-wife team who divided the work between them.
[…]
When Mr. Le Briand or his right-hand man is at work, the workshop door stands wide open onto the street. Inside, you can see mattresses waiting to be sewn and wool bales at the foot of the carding machine, ready to be combed and fluffed up to fill future mattresses.
Where to buy it
If you enjoyed this excerpt, you can discover other craftspeople in Paris by purchasing a copy of the guide. It is available here: