AN CONVERSATION WITH NICOLAS AND CéDRIC OF HERVET MANUFACTURIER
Described by Forbes as “an ode to craftsmanship, connection, and art,” the Jacques Marie Mage Gallery in Venice, Ca. is home to a vibrant mix of handmade objects, from the brand’s limited-edition eyewear to its finely curated one-of-a-kind historical memorabilia.
Described by Forbes as “an ode to craftsmanship, connection, and art,” the Jacques Marie Mage Gallery in Venice, Ca. is home to a vibrant mix of handmade objects, from the brand’s limited-edition eyewear to its finely curated one-of-a-kind historical memorabilia. One of the space’s most defining features is its foundational furnishings, a suite of custom creations that includes cabinetry display cases handmade in Normandy with responsibly sourced Zebrano and Brazilian Rosewood, and a “Passager” armchair composed of steel and full-grain leather.
The latter has become one of the signature pieces of Hervet Manuafacturier, the Paris-based furniture design firm enlisted by JMM founder Jerome Mage to bring a sense of tradition, prestige, and optimism to the décor. “Nicolas [Hervet] is one of the few who can create modern furniture but with a romantic feel that takes you back to the 19th century,” said Mage in a recent Forbes interview. “We both craft things the way they were made 50 to 100 years ago, but we do it with a new…more modern, bold approach.”
Both Nicolas and his co-founder, Cédric Hervet, come from a long line of carpenters and craftsmen. The cousins trained at some of the finest design schools—Nicolas in Normandy and Cédric at the Ecole Boulle in Paris—before embarking on separate careers. Cédric would become Daft Punk’s long-time creative director, and Nicolas would rack up repeated honors in woodworking and sculpture. The two would come together in 2014 to form Hervet Manufacturier, and have since worked with prestigious brands from around the world.
Joined by a common fascination with ‘80s sci-fi and Japanese manga, the name Hervet has become synonymous with stunning handmade pieces in futurist forms, crafted using traditional techniques such as marquetry and veneering. “Geometrical forms inspired by space ships is what we like the most,” says Nicolas, leading us into a conversation regarding the cousins’ shared influences, design ideas, and concerns for the future of furniture-making…
J.M.M.:Which decade or era do you find most compelling, from a design perspective?
N.H. C.H.:- The 1950s. Because it is post-war, everything had to be rebuilt intelligently and with little money. There was a lot of thought around the creation because of the low budget. Look at Jean Prouvé, for example.
- In the Middle Ages, it was the same stuff everywhere but when you get closer to the modern era, there is more variations. Since the industrial revolution, everything has accelerated in terms of design and the transition from one style to another was much faster. It has opened up a lot more opportunities for people with new technologies.
J.M.M.:How have technological advancements in furniture-making affected (in both the positive and negative) the world of traditional wood-working?
N.H. C.H.:- The positive side is that we are gaining a lot of time and we can make more pieces. The negative is that it also means we are losing the ancestral techniques as well the manual labor that is being replaced by the machines.
J.M.M.:What do you see as the biggest threat to your craft? What is the biggest opportunity?
N.H. C.H.:- The biggest threat is the lack of training, either jobs that get lost or that could be forgotten later. Regarding the opportunity, we are doing a job that is limitless in terms of creation. It is constantly renewed thanks to the diversity in tasks and designs.
- Sustainability. We need to be careful about the environment and trees are a fragile source. What interests me most about all of this is that people can have access to our furniture and also see the quality of the work. Doing this adventure with Nicolas gives us the privilege to meet and work with people like Jacques Marie Mage.
J.M.M.:What about the Jacques Marie Mage project aligns well with the Hervet vision?
N.H. C.H.:- We love Mage's work. All the glasses are more surprising than the others. Mage looked at the Hervet furniture as Hervet looked at the Mage glasses. A common attraction in the creation, use of materials, and finishing of objects.
- JMM has classic techniques and iconic materials and shapes but which are revisited with a twist of their own, a bit like Hervet.