Local artisans | Square foot: with variable geometry

Quebec abounds with creators who make original, authentic, unique objects with their hands. The Press meet these craftsmen whose gestures and eyes give color to local design.

A first bedside table made for fun in the pandemic and then posted on Instagram was the starting point for a bigger project. A year and a half after its debut, the cubic root of Pied Carré is displayed on various pieces of furniture that revitalize the graphic lines of the 1960s and 1970s.

You had to think about it, but above all do it! With this first “imperfect” piece of furniture, she says, Sara Cléroux attracted about fifty potential customers. “I was like, ‘OK, I think I got something!’ The idea, although present elsewhere than in Quebec, was still new here. This vein will be perfect enough to start a new career and change your life.

A fascinating pastime

After studying many online tutorials, Sara Cléroux took up carpentry and tiling. “When I got into it, I didn’t realize that this idea had so much potential and even less that it was going to become a job. I thought it was a hobby. Then I realized it was working for real,” she says candidly, still amazed, it seems, by this enthusiastic welcome and the outcome of things.

Then a caregiver for her little brother with special needs, the apprentice began by following up on his orders during the day, reserving the evenings for production.

She also takes care of all the stages of the manufacture of her objects, from the assembly of the wooden bases to the grout.

cubes to cubes

From simple projects like planters and cubes, Sara Cléroux gradually migrated to more elaborate and personalized models. The pieces she creates are essentially custom-made for her clients. “It’s an aspect of my job that excites me. Knowing that there are people who have one of my pieces of furniture in their house and who are proud of it, it’s really gratifying! »

If his creations remain refined, the fantasy is expressed elsewhere: in assertive graphic lines and a choice of colors that are sometimes contrasting or discreet in tone on tone, whether for the tiles themselves or the choice of grout. One tile at a time, the young craftswoman is thus expanding her range, which is enriched with dining room tables, consoles and other creations of her own. At the same time, it establishes its signature, characterized by a small 2″ x 2″ square that has become its trademark.

After Quebec, where she keeps her studio, the craftswoman now intends to develop a market in British Columbia where she has just moved. Prices for Pied Carré creations range between $300 and $5,000, depending on size, complexity and mosaics used, with some tiles being imported from Italy.