INTERVIEW
the Icelandic workshop
maison 123
WINTER 2023
the Icelandic workshop
Icelandic entrepreneur Elisabet shares her strong bond with her homeland, notably through her online boutique, which perfectly combines Icelandic know-how.
Could you introduce yourself and L'Atelier Islandais?
I’m Icelandic, living in Paris with my French husband and our three children. Before creating L’Atelier Islandais, I worked as an interior designer in Iceland and Paris.
L’atelier Islandais is an online boutique focused on Icelandic design. It was created with the passion and desire to showcase Icelandic design and make it more accessible abroad. I’m happy to be part of the growth and blossoming of Icelandic design, to increase its visibility and export.
SHARE ONE OF YOUR STRONGEST MEMORIES
eN ISLAND ?
Hard to choose, but one memory would be the first summer I went out with my husband, we went to a music festival in East Iceland, a place called Borgarfjörður eystri. Also, my favorite time of year are Icelandic summer nights. They are absolutely magical, with daylight 24/7 giving you lots of energy and happiness, surrounded by good friends, good music and beautiful nature.
What inspires you about Iceland? Do you return often?
Growing up on a remote island in the North Atlantic shapes you. Icelandic winters are cold and long, and summer nights are endless, with 24-hour days. Nature’s energy is vibrant and the landscapes are breathtaking, sometimes otherworldly. All this stimulates the creativity of Icelandic designers, who are influenced by harsh nature, erupting volcanoes, gushing geysers, sprawling lava fields and massive glaciers. That’s what makes Icelandic design special; that’s what makes me love it.
We return to Iceland at least twice a year, to spend time with my family and friends, which is important to me and also to enable my children to discover Icelandic freedom and nature.
When did it all start to happen, that little voice whispering in your ear that you should set up your own business?
It had been an idea for about 8 years, so I decided to start my own business in November 2020. The encouragement of my husband and family also made this decision easier.
I also discovered that people were curious about Icelandic design, found it exciting, innovative and wanted to find it somewhere.
What type of products can be found at L'Atelier Islandais? And what's your must-have?
We sell children’s clothing, giftware, beauty products and furniture – all Icelandic talent in one place! Product selection, price range and personalization. The limited population hasn’t stopped people from designing and presenting interesting and influential things.
I’ve always been amazed at how much creativity and variety there is in the design industry. It’s a relatively young industry in Iceland, so I’m excited to be involved and see what the future holds.
I’d say my must-haves would be some of our Urð and Angan beauty products, our Lavala collection and the handmade porcelain mugs mixed with volcanic ash that give a beautiful texture.
Can you tell us an Icelandic story or legend?
Two years ago, my family and I went to visit the western fjords. Perhaps one of the most isolated places in Iceland, it takes hours to get there. Although it’s a beautiful road, we decided to save time by taking an alternate dirt road. After an hour, we realized that a four-wheel-drive vehicle would have been more appropriate – too late to turn back, we climbed a hill, alone in the world, through clouds of mist to start discovering one of the many fjords of this unique place in the world in the distance. One of our visits was to a 19th-century French fisherman’s graveyard, and we thought to ourselves how long it had taken us, with modern means, hours of driving to get there, but how did these sailors do it and how did they feel when they landed here between two fisheries.
How does the production and management of your online shop work?
I used to work in a design store in Reykjavik, where I met a lot of designers and built up good relationships with them. I can therefore say that I was influenced after this period in the choice of products for my store. At the moment, we’re working on creating products specially designed for L’Atelier Islandais.
Most items are handcrafted in Iceland, so I choose products that suit my style when it comes to home and skin. I like Urð and Angan beauty products, which are companies that formulate high-performance products of unrivalled quality with wild, sustainable arctic ingredients. I think it’s important to have good relationships with designers, and they’re interested to know what excites and appeals to the French market.
"life's too short not to make your dreams come true, isn't it?"
Elisabet
