Sébastien is a Swiss-French mold maker who applies his savoir-faire of casting and sculpture to glassblowing. He has his own company called Moulage et Patine which creates beautiful plaster pieces for numerous museums, boutiques, hotels, and private clients around the world. Sébastien creates all of our plaster pieces in his studio in the 15th arrondissement! He also shares his skills as a teacher at Les Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris.
Valentina is an Italian-American who grew up in Paris. She attended NYU where she received a master’s degree in Art History and Visual Arts. She then divided her time between New York, Milan, and Paris working for 10 years as an independent artist creating many paintings, videos, and photographs. In parallel, she has worked in the advertising industry as a production manager where she gained the experience she utilizes in her own company today.
Valentina and Sébastien design and create every model themselves. They find their inspiration in classic designs, everyday objects, and all the people who are part of their lives. Many of the pieces are named after family members, friends, clients, and team members. Thibaut and Chiara are named after their children. Anjeanette and Sandra are named after a friend and a team member. “ We like to keep it all in the family because family is what means the most to us. “
They started in 2009 by creating 4 vases from recycled glass, loading them on the back of their bikes, and riding around Paris to sell them to local flower shops. The vases sold out in a day! The couple also received great feedback as to what kind of vases customers needed. Sébastien would then go back to the glass-blowing studio in the 18th arrondissement to create these upscaled designs. Then it was back on his bike with a trolley attached, to deliver his new creations.
La Soufflerie has grown since 2009 and has become part of a parent company, called S&V Nobile, also created by Sébastien and Valentina. S&V Nobile (aka La Soufflerie) has been adding a full range of candles, terracotta, plaster, wood, and other handmade products to its glassware designs. They also collaborate with other brands and designers on special productions. Over the years, Valentina and Sébastien have opened several small glass-blowing studios around the world in the hope of maintaining their passion for 100% mouth-blown glass, which requires no use of machinery, only ancient craftsmanship.