After working for several years in an office, Sarah Boyeldieu decided to try her hand as a ceramist. A successful professional reconversion in which she thrives, developing a practice between abstract and utilitarian shapes. As Christmas draws near, she invites us into her apartment and gives us some ideas to decorate our festive table. Stopover in Bordeaux.
Sarah Boyeldieu began her career as an account manager. After working in three advertising agencies, she decided to completely rethink her life. “I hired a coach and did a skills assessment,” she explains. After dabbling in various fields, in the kitchen and at a florist, she fell in love with ceramics. “I draw, I design and I create. It became clear to me that this is exactly what I wanted to do.” She trained for a year to receive a vocational certificate as a pottery wheel artisan, before undergoing additional courses. All while designing her first creations. The adventure truly began this summer in her workshop in Bordeaux.
Sarah Boyeldieu and her creations
Her very first collection? Tableware, to unite utility and beauty. A painting by Monet, representing the beach at Trouville where she went as a child, inspired the colours of her pieces. Blue and a few variations of green, recalling the shades of the waves. “I wanted to have a free movement on the objects, because ceramic is very technical. This [ocean] decoration is the moment when the gesture is most spontaneous,” she points out. A world focused on nature, which we also find on her Christmas table.
Her Christmas table
“We pay a lot of attention to what we eat, but not enough to our dishware, even though we use it every day. Most of the time, we don’t even know where it comes from,” she tells us. So, for Christmas, the dishes will be just as important as the food on them.
As for Sarah Boyeldieu’s decorations, they reflect her character. “There are Christmas crackers, because it’s cool to have fun things on the Christmas table. It’s simple. There’s a harmony of colours and materials,” she comments. While her ceramic pieces remain the key elements of her table-setting, flowers also play a starring role. A few lighting elements, such as fairy lights, add a soft glow for a fresh and elegant result.
Discover Sarah Boyeldieu’s pieces on her e-shop and on Instagram.
Photos: ©Caroline de Testa
AMV Journal is a space dedicated to encounters, discovery and travel. Every week, explore the musts, portraits and inspirations of American Vintage and its creation studio.