Our project, our philosophy
Within Maison Saulaie, we design and manufacture our new product ranges in our own workshops located in France (Mayenne) and in Portugal (in the Porto region). Through our collections, we aim to showcase quality craftsmanship, locally sourced fine materials and offer elegant designs with customisable finishes. Each person is unique, which is why we provide a wide range of colours of leathers, fabrics, woods and ceramics, available in our showroom, to allow professionals and individuals alike to design custom interiors. Our showroom and telephone teams are delighted to present the expertise of our workshops and to assist you in your choice of materials.
The day when...
"We are a French home decor and furniture company founded 30 years ago in Anjou, between Mayenne and Maine-et-Loire. Edouard & Amélie are the 2nd generation leading the adventure."
At the heart of our project: publishing top-of-the-range furniture pieces with a reasoned and sustainable consumption pattern. Our approach is part of a long-term vision. How? By linking the quality of designs with timeless elegance, by producing customisable pieces to order, by selecting noble and natural materials enhanced by excellent craftsmanship.
In 2022, we made the choice to integrate our own workshops specialising in cabinetmaking in France (still in Mayenne) and in upholstery in Portugal. We are therefore incredibly fortunate to be able to work on preserving and passing on our historical expertise, in order to offer you high-quality local manufacturing for customisable collections.
"We are a French home decor and furniture company founded 30 years ago in Anjou, between Mayenne and Maine-et-Loire. Edouard & Amélie are the 2nd generation leading the adventure."
At the heart of our project: publishing top-of-the-range furniture pieces with a reasoned and sustainable consumption pattern. Our approach is part of a long-term vision. How? By linking the quality of designs with timeless elegance, by producing customisable pieces to order, by selecting noble and natural materials enhanced by excellent craftsmanship.
In 2022, we made the choice to integrate our own workshops specialising in cabinetmaking in France (still in Mayenne) and in upholstery in Portugal. We are therefore incredibly fortunate to be able to work on safeguarding and passing on our historical expertise, in order to offer you high-quality local manufacturing in the service of customisable collections.
French and European manufacturing
100% of our new furniture collections are made in France or Europe. Full stop.
FRANCE: The majority of our new collections are produced in France, in OUR workshop in Mayenne, where we work with locally sourced oak, ash and walnut.
"EUROPE - FABRIC: Our workshop in Portugal is particularly renowned for upholstery. It is therefore responsible for our fabric seating."
EUROPE - LEATHER: For leatherwork, more specifically buffalo leather, our partner workshop is located in Eastern Europe; this workshop works exclusively by hand, using traditional techniques of natural colouring (solvent-free) of hides using the technique known as "aniline leather" (left natural).
100% of our new furniture collections are made in France or Europe. Full stop.
FRANCE: The majority of our new collections are produced in France, in OUR workshop in Mayenne, where we work with locally sourced oak, ash and walnut.
"EUROPE - FABRIC: Our workshop in Portugal is particularly renowned for upholstery. It is therefore responsible for our fabric seating."
EUROPE - LEATHER: For leatherwork, more specifically buffalo leather, our partner workshop is located in Eastern Europe; this workshop works exclusively by hand, using traditional techniques of natural colouring (solvent-free) of hides using the technique known as "aniline leather" (left natural).
The choice of natural materials, the beginning of our story
The choice of materials is essential in our profession. We work mainly with raw materials, in a quest for nobility and character.
Wood, our favourite material, comes from PEFC-certified sawmills; an independent label that certifies the sustainable management of the forest. Our supplies come from local forests, close to the workshop, with a particular requirement around traceability. Each type of wood has very specific properties that will be appreciated depending on the furniture to be produced. We offer different shades for solid oak, beech and ash wood. Only walnut, appreciated for its grain and warm colour, is offered without a shade; its raw appearance is enough in itself to give character to the room.
Particular attention is also paid to the leather, a must in the making of our sofas and armchairs. Full-grain leather, worked in a natural way or "aniline leather", is the densest part of the animal's skin, which makes it the most luxurious part. This natural leather, with its marks of life, is particularly appreciated by our customers for its authentic patina and its lived-in appearance (also called vintage).
We work with a wide range of fabrics. Plain fabrics, with a mottled effect, herringbone, velvets, linens and woollens in different colours. We select the fabric either for its natural composition or for its properties (for example, stain-resistant or fire-retardant fabric). You can also entrust us with your own fabric to personalise your furniture.
The choice of materials is essential in our profession. We work mainly with raw materials, in a quest for nobility and character.
Wood, our favourite material, comes from PEFC-certified sawmills; an independent label that certifies the sustainable management of the forest. Our supplies come from local forests, close to the workshop, with a particular requirement around traceability. Each type of wood has very specific properties that will be appreciated depending on the furniture to be produced. We offer different shades for solid oak, beech and ash wood. Only walnut, appreciated for its grain and warm colour, is offered without a shade; its raw appearance is enough in itself to give character to the room.
Particular attention is also paid to the leather, a must in the making of our sofas and armchairs. Full-grain leather, worked in a natural way or "aniline leather", is the densest part of the animal's skin, which makes it the most luxurious part. This natural leather, with its marks of life, is particularly appreciated by our customers for its authentic patina and its lived-in appearance (also called vintage).
We work with a wide range of fabrics. Plain fabrics, with a mottled effect, herringbone, velvets, linens and woollens in different colours. We select the fabric either for its natural composition or for its properties (for example, stain-resistant or fire-retardant fabric). You can also entrust us with your own fabric to personalise your furniture.
Craftsmanship know-how, our cultural wealth
We favour traditional manufacturing methods that allow furniture to last over time: assembly with traditional techniques (e.g. mortise and tenon, dovetail) reinforced with screws for impeccable durability over time.
"We are convinced that these exceptional techniques passed down by generations of craftsmen are part of our heritage, and it is our duty to keep them alive. That is why we pay special attention to the training of young apprentices each year in our workshops."
"Exceptional craftsmanship unattainable? Our goal is to offer a more accessible vision of high-end furniture by providing access to manufacturing workshops that were previously reserved for custom-made pieces, thus ensuring a high level of quality. How? Through small series that optimize manufacturing costs."
We make a point of honour of reconnecting with traditional manufacturing methods in our workshops where skilled and passionate craftsmen work.
"We are convinced that these exceptional techniques passed down by generations of craftsmen are part of our heritage, and it is our duty to keep them alive. That is why we pay special attention to the training of young apprentices each year in our workshops."
"We are convinced that these exceptional techniques passed down by generations of craftsmen are part of our heritage, and it is our duty to keep them alive. That is why we pay special attention to the training of young apprentices each year in our workshops."
"Exceptional craftsmanship unattainable? Our goal is to offer a more accessible vision of high-end furniture by providing access to manufacturing workshops that were previously reserved for custom-made pieces, thus ensuring a high level of quality. How? Through small series that optimize manufacturing costs."
Customization, from designs to unique finishes
100% of our new collections are designed in semi-customised format in order to offer designs with customisable finishes and available quickly. YOU are UNIQUE, which is why customisation allows you to define the product that suits you by choosing the size, the wood type and tint, as well as the addition of materials such as ceramic, leather or fabric.
Once your order has been placed in the showroom or online, it is then entrusted to our workshops, using a short circuit. It will pass through the hands of different craftsmen, each according to their speciality, to choose the materials, cut them out, assemble them and finally perfect the finishes.
100% of our new collections are designed in semi-customised format in order to offer designs with customisable finishes and available quickly. YOU are UNIQUE, which is why customisation allows you to define the product that suits you by choosing the size, the wood type and tint, as well as the addition of materials such as ceramic, leather or fabric.
Once your order has been placed in the showroom or online, it is then entrusted to our workshops, using a short circuit. It will pass through the hands of different craftsmen, each according to their speciality, to choose the materials, cut them out, assemble them and finally perfect the finishes.
Sustainable consumption, our sustainable vision of furnishing
To offer you high-quality products at a more reasonable cost than buying custom-designed furniture, we favour the pre-order system in small series. Although the delivery times for a pre-ordered product are longer than those for a product in stock, this system has many advantages for the environment, for you and for us:
Unlike the consumption of mass-produced products from thousands of kilometres away, we start making the furniture when you order it, and thus aim to limit the consumption of natural resources by reducing the risk of unsold products and wasted materials.
This pre-order system also allows you to acquire a piece of furniture to your taste at a much more affordable price than 100% custom-made. Thanks to the pre-order, we manufacture the desired product by customising it to your request (choice of type of finishes: wood and ceramic tint for tables, fabric or leather for seats). And who says personalised furniture, also says furniture that you will like for a long time and that you will be able to keep thanks to its careful manufacture!
Local manufacturing helps to maintain employment and enhance the skills and expertise in our workshops.
In short, all this is to offer you excellent quality products at the best price, in the service of a more responsible vision of consumption.
To offer you high-quality products at a more reasonable cost than buying custom-designed furniture, we favour the pre-order system in small series. Although the delivery times for a pre-ordered product are longer than those for a product in stock, this system has many advantages for the environment, for you and for us:
Unlike the consumption of mass-produced products from thousands of kilometres away, we start making the furniture when you order it, and thus aim to limit the consumption of natural resources by reducing the risk of unsold products and wasted materials.
This pre-order system also allows you to acquire a piece of furniture to your taste at a much more affordable price than 100% custom-made. Thanks to the pre-order, we manufacture the desired product by customising it to your request (choice of type of finishes: wood and ceramic tint for tables, fabric or leather for seats). And who says personalised furniture, also says furniture that you will like for a long time and that you will be able to keep thanks to its careful manufacture!
Local manufacturing helps to maintain employment and enhance the skills and expertise in our workshops.
In short, all this is to offer you excellent quality products at the best price, in the service of a more responsible vision of consumption.
In our workshops
For over 30 years, La Maison Saulaie has worked with leather artisans to offer its customers high-end armchairs and sofas. They are made from full-grain leather, a leather taken from the softest and thickest part. Find out about the steps involved in their artisanal manufacture.
"Since January 2022, we have our own carpentry workshops in Mayenne and Portugal. Visit our Mayenne workshop in this video and discover how we craft a solid wood piece of furniture step by step, from technical drawing to finishing, including wood selection, cutting, and assembly. Our skilled artisans proudly uphold traditional craftsmanship methods: Clémence, Mickaël, Léo, Philippe, Manuella, and others. A beautiful journey of French craftsmanship with the scent of sawdust!"
