Adélaïde, engineering student and practicing artist

Adélaïde and her sister Garance founded Atelier Larouf in the summer of 2020. At their studio, located in the Périgord region, they design and make affordable “French-made” hand-crafted graphic posters. Produced using the linocut technique, each poster is unique, responsible and sustainable.

How did you come up with the idea of setting up this studio?

The idea is to design a line of hand-crafted posters following on from a personal experience: my sister and I wanted to give a unique and original interior design object to our brother, and we began looking at prints. But after hunting around for ages, it became evident to us that there were no hand-crafted graphic posters on sale in France at affordable prices. Then we found a farmyard barn not far from our family holiday home, and this is where we decided to set up our art studio in the summer of 2020, Atelier Larouf.

Who makes up your team? What’s your role in the project?

I’ve teamed up with my sister Garance, a graduate from the Paris National School of Decorative Arts (ENSAD) and a freelance textile designer. She works for a range of French brands as well as abroad in a variety of sectors. These include interior design, illustration for clothing as well as children’s fashion.

I’m a student at ENSTA Bretagne, in the Engineering & Entrepreneurship specialism. I’m currently on a gap year and will graduate in 2022. I have always been drawn to art and interior design and have been able to develop a specialist know-how at Atelier Larouf. From my scientific background, I have learned to be meticulous and determined. These are essential qualities for being an entrepreneur.

What’s unique about the posters? What is the technique used?

The printing technique we use at Atelier Larouf is linocut, an additional artistic passion developed by Garance alongside her professional activities.

This is an etching style inspired by wood engraving. Using gouges, we etch pieces of soft linoleum. Then we ink these pieces with paint. The pieces are then placed on our press bed and covered in the paper selected. The paper comes off the press printed with the etched motif. The work by hand means that each print run leads to unique vibrations. Each poster is numbered and signed. We work in very limited-edition batches, with no more than 20 or so posters per print run.

ENSTA Bretagne : Atelier Larouf Linogravure

What message are you hoping to convey through your designs?

With Atelier Larouf, we would like to make arts & crafts for interior design accessible to a wider audience. This ambition means we have to apply strict values underpinning the whole of our creative process. We work with 100% French products. From our paper to our inks and our packaging, not forgetting the manual printing we do at the studio, we champion French-made products. Our prints are sustainable, the collections complement each other and are designed to be used over several seasons. This is very much an eco-responsible approach we are taking. The paints used are French, and solvent-free. As such, for our first collection, the paper used is local and made out of recycled paper fibers.

Who are your posters for, do you already have some customers?

The designs are unisex and can suit a feminine or masculine setting alike! They are also affordable and their illustrations are easy to understand. There’s no need to have studied history of art to understand, enjoy and own decorative items! This value is particularly important to us.

We sell and ship in France and worldwide from our online store atelierlarouf.com. Our posters are also sold in several Parisian concept stores, as well as in Chevreuse and Couze. In June and December, we will also be attending the Bandes de Créateurs exhibition at Bastille Design Center, in central Paris.

What are your future plans?

In 2021, the first thing is we will be bringing out our second collection. Incorporating the same key themes as the first one, this new collection is an opportunity for us to throw our hallmark features into even clearer focus. You’ll find motifs in the style of tapestries and bold colors. This year will also mark a milestone in the adventure of Atelier Larouf for us. Having set up just 6 months ago, we hope to continue raising the profile of our brand. We aim to extend our network of concept stores and boutiques. We would also like to take part in projects together with other French designers.