Wine Libraries
The Manganèse x L’Atelier du Vin collaboration celebrates the French art of living, embodied in the Wine Libraries collection Premium pieces built on timeless design and unique expertise.
© Yves Duronsoy for Manganèse Editions
Isabelle Saguez-Creiser, founder of Manganèse Éditions.
What is Manganèse?
In 2003, three friends – Nanou Billault, a stylist in interior design press, Bernard Astor, Head of Creation at agency Saguez & Partners, and myself, a journalist at Madame Figaro – realized we all shared a passion for heritage and interior design.
I suggested that we join together to found a styling company inspired by both yesterday and today – a bridge between heritage and modernity. Now, nearly 20 years on MANGANÈSE is still following
that same path.
How did you meet Georges Richard?
I’ve known Georges for a long time. I even remember the beginnings of his family business, L’ATELIER DU VIN, founded by his father Pierre. Georges has since taken over the reins to develop this wonderful brand specializing in all things wine. His natural enthusiasm, energy and drive to innovate are just irresistible!
How was the Wine Library project born?
MANGANÈSE was commissioned to design the store at the Arton vineyard in the Gers region of France. For this project, I sketched out wooden shelving to store the bottles and showcase the products at the same time. Next, I needed someone to produce what I had designed, so I thought of L’ATELIER DU VIN, which offered a very high performing metal bottle storage system.
What makes this new line of wine furniture so special?
I love the timeless design of these pieces. The simplicity of the large frames, adorned with a square infused with MANGANÈSE’s emblematic style, means that these Wine Libraries can seamlessly fit into any space, from a refrigerated wine room in a restaurant to a wall in a wine lover’s apartment, a display in a wine shop or a tasting area at a vineyard.
And, as a little twist, the perforated sheet metal gives these Wine Libraries a discreetly contemporary feel.
Georges Richard, CEO of L’Atelier du Vin.
How and why did you meet?
Isabelle was married to my first boss when I was twenty years old – an amazing boss who has since become a firm friend.
Without a doubt, Isabelle’s eye for design was behind the elegant feminine flair in her own projects and her discreet but pinpointed involvement in her husband’s agency, Saguez & Partners. I met Isabelle at events organized by the agency at the time. We’ve kept in touch all these years, and now we find ourselves working together directly! One of life’s great surprises…
What are your respective businesses, what do they do, and what brings you together?
Our two businesses have a very important point in common: we both strive to find meaning and combine practicality with aesthetics.
We search for meaning by setting out a vision for the medium and long term, from the moment an idea for a product or piece of furniture takes shape to the moment it becomes a reality for our
customers.
We are passionate about bringing our projects to life thanks to a driven, tightly knit and exacting team. Lastly, this idea of practical aesthetics is underpinned by well thought-out design and careful production to create pieces that are functional, sustainable and timelessly stylish.
What are you working on?
MANGANÈSE X L’ATELIER DU VIN is a collaboration to create items that will stand the test of time. These pieces are designed for customers with the highest standards, from people who are passionate about wine at home to vineyard professionals, who can be sure that our products are excellent quality and made with the utmost respect for the environment. One example would be a vineyard owner wanting to transform their wine cellar into a room to sell their bottles, where the staging of the space is a vital part of showcasing the local products.
Our dream is to create projects that place our design at the heart of elegant and sustainable wine tourism.
PROJECT
Beginnings
A palette of forest-inspired colors and mural design painted by artist Jean Oddes.
Sketches
That magic moment when an idea becomes a few lines sketched on some squared paper and something real begins to take shape. Something tangible, a piece of furniture, a library not of books but of prized bottles.
Mockups
Details
Dimensions
Materials
Dark look
1. Plain sheet metal in textured matte black.
2. Steel rods with epoxy powder coating.
3. Solid dark-stained oak.
L’ambiance claire
1. Solid light-stained oak.
2. Plain sheet metal in textured matte white.
3. Perforated sheet metal in textured matte white.
4. Steel rods with epoxy powder coating.
Expertise
Wood
The frame of our Libraries is made entirely by hand using an artisanal technique known as mortise and tenon joints. The wood undergoes several stages of processing, from sawing to planing, sanding and varnishing. Lastly, it is rubbed with protective natural linseed oil, then stained with paints rated A+, the most environmentally responsible grade, in terms of volatile organic compound emissions. Since wood is by its very nature a living and evolving material, each piece is unique.
Metal
Our steel rods are up to 8 mm in diameter, outperforming current standards to ensure high mechanical resistance over the long term. Our steel components receive a very high-performing anti-corrosion treatment with a specific epoxy powder coating technique used in the manufacturing industry. To achieve this, a layer of powdered paint is applied to the parts using an electrostatic charge, then hardened in a 200°C heating chamber. The hammered style finish covers the parts more thoroughly for even stronger protection.
Options
French Art of Living
There’s nothing more satisfying than a beautifully laid out wine cellar. The wine for the evening has been selected and our Wine Libraries offer the perfect backdrop to making the first sip with loved ones a special moment. The metal shelf forms a console table to set down the carafe, glasses and corkscrew.
A dark-stained oak frame embraces the Wine Library’s metal sides and backing. A vast collection of metal rod shelves offers a wealth of possibilities for customizable storage in the Tall Library.
Featuring oaken squares, the Library in light-stained oak is more contemporary, with sides in chalk-colored perforated sheet metal that accentuate its sleek style.
Is there anything more festive than a glass brimming with champagne? Once the bottle has been popped open, it’s time to celebrate or indulge in a treat. The metal shelf acts as a sideboard on which to rest champagne flutes, plates, a chiller or glimmering candles.
Hear from our experts
JEAN-PHILIPPE CORDINA, Head of Creation at Saguez & Parteners.
In the nearly 20 years that I’ve been a designer, I’ve had the opportunity to work on a huge range of spaces and pieces, from stores to stations, offices, hotels, trains, product design and furniture. Each and every project has given me food for thought on the next, inspiring high-speed train interiors laid out like offices or, conversely, conference tables featuring modulable, smart panels that resemble those found in trains.
We are absolutely seeing a huge shift toward MIXED-USE spaces today places where people can switch seamlessly between work and socializing, for example.
And that calls for unique interiors that offer a real experience, which is achieved by carefully combining styles such as industrial, traditional and vintage.
With Manganèse, our passion for balancing heritage and modernity inspires us
to create furniture that brings out the very best of exceptional rooms.
ANTONIN RAVEL, Sales Manager at Architecture Intérieure du Vin
Architecture Intérieure du Vin bridges the gap between industry and craftsmanship.
In our wood and metal workshops in Northern France, AIV produces exclusive pieces to furnish home wine cellars, vineyard tasting rooms, wine areas in restaurants and more. The Wine Libraries developed with styling company Manganèse are infinitely CUSTOMIZABLE, offering a range of heights, widths and depths, four oak stains, and many options for shelves, drawers and countertops. AIV is passionate about working with noble materials that are locally sourced and environmentally friendly.
Our high-quality steel is particularly robust, able to hold dozens of bottles. Sourced from sustainably managed forests, the wood we use is cut in long slices from wide logs.
Even our FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council), packaging is handled by a company just round the corner!
Photo credits: Yves Duronsoy for Manganèse Editions
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