JULIEN DURAIN

I joined Baccarat by coincidence, or rather by chance. For me, the company is a family affair: my grandfather and my father worked here, and like them, I share this love of our craft and of work well done. From a plan defined by the design office, I assemble all the components of the chandeliers, which arrive in already chiseled and pre-drilled pieces – pendants, octagons, and crystal prisms. Because my work combines the purely mechanical dimension with a sense of aesthetics, I have to know the rudiments of electricity, and demonstrate considerable dexterity in my approach. Chandeliers are a bit like jigsaw puzzles that can reach twenty thousand pieces. Perched on hoists, we have to glue, seal, and deploy a whole set of techniques from mixing plaster deposited with a spoon to the creation of beautiful metal loops with a pair of pliers. I consider it a privilege to work on exceptional creations, which I sometimes go to mount directly at the clients’ premises in Japan, Macao, or in any other part of the world. This can represent nearly thirty wooden boxes and seventy cartons of elements to reconstitute on site, and in some cases, there was not even a prototype available. Whether it’s a chandelier from our collection or a custom made one, having the piece in front of you light up for the first time is always a source of pride. Sometimes there will only be one in the world, and we are the ones who made it! Satisfaction also comes from knowing that I work in a Manufacture that will soon celebrate its two hundred and sixty years, and that embodies French art in all its splendor.

© Trafalgar Maison de Portraits & Romain Chambodut