Marie Daâge & La Haute Couture de la Table.
This month we celebrate International Women’s Day. We would therefore like to take a moment to acknowledge the special achievements of Marie Daâge. As a craftswoman, she has revolutionised the pottery industry, by blending the French heritage of traditional technique with innovative designs.
“Building your porcelain collection is like building your wardrobe – you find your must-haves, your favourites, and your touches of colour, and you buy key pieces every year.”
As Michelle from Almostessential.com explains: Born in Austria, raised in the French West Indies and educated at the School of The Louvre, Marie Daâge started hand-painting on Limoges porcelain in 1990. Her creativity and respect of a heritage craft, quickly led her to work with artisan painters from Limoges’ region. Over the years, Marie Daâge has grown into a major player on the French luxury and international decorative arts scene.
Cultural commitment
Marie believes that the image and style of French goods goes hand in hand with where they are made believing that buyer’s want to purchase items that have meaning or a story behind them. So when goods are partially fabricated off-shore the unique qualities inherent to the region or country, are lost.
An advocate for preserving family business and traditional craftsmanship, she supports Development Durable – a French initiative for sustainable production of goods made by families who learned their trades and traditions over generations.
Marie truly believes in the importance of sustaining the trades and the positive impact these traditions have on the social environment as well as the economy. In recognition for her efforts to preserve a national heritage, she was awarded the Legion of Honour in 2012.
All Colour is Hand Mixed
Fascinated by colour, Marie creates new colours intuitively. Feeling the colour, she sees it and then composes it based on her feelings. Hours are spent mixing pigments to achieve just the right hue. Each year at least one new colour is introduce, with colours that define her style, even exuberant tones are subtle and natural looking. As a result, food looks fabulous on all on her settings.
The collections offer perfect stand-alone ranges, but can also be layered with other collections, enabling new looks for every meal from colourful brunch to the most sophisticated evening look.
““Do not be afraid to experiment! The soup tureen can be used to hold flowers, foliage can be spread on the table rather than stuck in a vase, and your charger, dinner plate and side plate do not have to match for a chic look!””