Where did you study architecture?

National architecture school of Rennes (France) & Technische Universität in Berlin (Germany).

At what point in your life did you decide to pursue architecture?

As far as I remember, I have always been interested in art. I drew and painted a lot as a kid, and studying Fine Arts was an obvious choice for me later on. I realized pretty soon that I needed to work on more structured and "reality-connected" subjects. So i decided to give architecture a try, and I never regretted it.

When did you decide to stop pursuing architecture? Why?

I am fully aware that my work now will never have the same impact as a large scale construction on the environment, but acting on a smaller scale allows me to have full control of the processI have worked six years as an architect in Paris and Berlin. During that time, I experimented with many different scales, interior design, private houses, large scale projects such as offices buildings or universities, up to urban projects. Most of the time, I was frustrated to see how short the creative part of the project was. The intricate network of the problematic embedded in the architectural process is fascinating, and I reckon that integrating the political, social, economical and technical aspect is an entire part of the architectural practice, and one that many enjoy doing. But many times, I found myself dealing with things I was not necessarily interested in.

I am fully aware that my work now will never have the same impact as a large scale construction on the environment, but acting on a smaller scale allows me to have full control of the process and in a much shorter time frame with the almost immediate satisfaction of a completed work made with my hands.

Describe your current profession.

I am a mosaic artist and pattern designer.

For the mosaic works, i produce geometrical patterns out of hand-cut earthenware tiles after the design phase where each pattern is carefully drawn in CAD software.The handmade value here has nothing to do with any form of nostalgia but with the quality of the end product.

Each piece is cut by hand, polished and assembled in my studio in Berlin. It is a pretty long manufacturing process, but for now, I haven't found any industrial technique that reaches the precision my patterns require. So the handmade value here has nothing to do with any form of nostalgia but with the quality of the end product.

In addition, I collaborate with different companies as pattern designer such as Berlin Tapete, which produces custom made wallpapers, or Seiwa Ceramics in Japan, for which I designed a collection of micro mosaics, part of their new range out this fall.

What skills did you gain from architecture school?

Apart of the technical and geometrical abilities which help me in the pattern design phase, being an architect allows me to work easily with interior designers or other architects as we speak the "same language". Therefore I can adapt my mosaic works easily to the architectural planning and think the project overall in three dimensions.

Do you have any interest in returning to architecture?

Considering what my job is today, I don't have the feeling that I really left architecture to be honest. Architecture still occupies an important place in my work, and my mosaics are very much linked to it. But as long as it works, I will keep on doing what I do today, and continue to live from my passion. I am not planning on returning to work in an architecture office for now.