Good Enough to Eat: Sarah Espeute - Œuvres Sensibles
The art of dining takes on a whole new meaning in the sensitive hands of French artist-designer Sarah Espeute. Creating meaning is essentially what her work is all about, in fact. Whilst agreeing with William Morris’s famous golden rule for interiors – “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” – she would add a third ingredient: items “that have stories to tell,” because, as she has learnt, these are the key to crafting timeless pieces with soul. “I grew up surrounded by old things,” Espeute says. “My father collected antique plates with various motifs, which we still eat from today. My mother, on the other hand, preciously keeps the smallest of items – from the beans of galettes des rois (French Twelfth Night Cake) to sachets of sugar. This environment taught me to see beauty and memory in things, even the most modest.”
Espeute is first and foremost, a storyteller. Whether expressing herself through embroidery, drawing, painting, or design, she imagines and brings to life poetic decorative objects for the home through her brand Œuvres sensibles, which she founded in 2021.
The fruit of Espeute’s intuitive artistic journey, Œuvres sensibles grew from a desire to express creativity in a way that is both genuine and intimate, “I just create objects that touch me personally, staying true to myself,” she says. “And I imagine that it is this sincerity that ends up touching others.” Born in Arles, in Provence, she studied Applied Arts in Visual Communication in Paris, found an internship in London, then, self-taught, founded a Risograph printing house and publishing company in her small apartment back in Paris. In 2016, her growing passion for printed objects and illustration led to the creation of Klima Intérieurs, in tandem with her friend Léa Bigot. Envisioning scenes and objects for the home, Espeute’s explorations eventually led her into the world of three-dimensional art.
When the creative duo headed south with their project, and Espeute moved into her new apartment in Marseille, she began to experiment with painting and embroidery, seeing the potential in drawing stories with thread. Here, she made her first trompe-l’oeil objects – a series of embroidered bouquet cushions and curtains decorated with climbing roses and garden views. She had been a natural with a needle since her first embroidery classes at primary school. “Textiles have always attracted me,” Espute says. “I often buy fabrics simply because I find them beautiful, without having a specific idea in mind. My interest then turned to how to enhance them and embroidery was an obvious choice. I like this simple and intuitive approach. Passionate about drawing and illustration, I naturally sought to mix these worlds.”
As the creative manifesto for Espeute’s Œuvres sensibles was taking shape, she received an invitation from French gallery owner Anne-Laure Lestage to participate in an exhibition in Biarritz on the theme of “the table.” This proved a pivotal moment when her embroidered trompe-l’oeil tablecloth met with instant success. The rest is history, as they say.
An absolute treat for the senses, Œuvres sensibles’ catalogue features an ever-inspiring selection of embroidered textiles to decorate dining spaces with mouth-watering style. Reviving the use of trivets, coasters, placemats, runners, and tablecloths, her contemporary creations are an invitation to enjoy the little things, to appreciate every day and to make new memories – a simple meal for two at home, a family picnic, a special gathering with friends.
Having grown up in the South of France, Espeute immediately found her place in Marseille. “It’s a city where everything is possible,” she says. “It offers me a space conducive to creation, with light, sun, and nature nearby." Her handmade designs are often anchored in the Mediterranean, celebrating delicious local dishes, such as La Soupe au Pistou (vegetable soup) and La Sardinade (fresh crab with lemon), all minimally yet artfully suggestive enough to whet your appetite. There’s a cheeky playfulness in sets like Mains sur la Table (Hands on the Table), too, which definitely calls for a smile. Espeute enjoys cooking seasonal recipes with her partner, inspired by Fabien Vallons’s Inventaire gourmand de la Méditerranée, which she considers “a real culinary bible full of simple, tasteful treasures.” Could this celebration of local life be a key ingredient in her recipe for success?
Authenticity, origin, and artisanal work are definitely essential to Œuvres sensibles. Espeute cherry-picks her textiles, either sourcing old and antique fabrics from private individuals or new ethically produced ones from cooperatives such as Tissage d’Autan and Libeco in Belgium, specialising in sustainable European flax. Quality and durability are absolute priorities for the brand, as are respect for environmental impact and human relationships. Espeute has started to delegate embroidery to home-based freelancers whom she has trained in Marseille, and has a permanent team of six women working with her at the workshop, each one involved in different stages of the production process. This autonomy ensures that every scrap of waste fabric is pooled together and recycled into something new like a patchwork.
Weaving community through food is another common thread. “I like to share and create an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable around a table, regardless of their social background,” she says. “I have this desire to create real moments through my creations.” To this end, in her first boutique workshop, Espeute organised a number of culinary events with guest chefs, allowing her to interact with her audience and witness her objects coming to life. “It is also an opportunity to stage them, to give them a new dimension,” she says. “I would like to go even further by transforming this staging into a real performance, by exploring a more immersive experience.”
In January 2025, Œuvres sensibles moved into a larger space, where Espeute plans to organise events with other designers. She will also be taking part in more residencies. As a business owner, she says she often feels frustrated because she has less time to experiment, or is pushed to reproduce what works to please others. As her Parisian exhibition A Well-Dressed Apartment in October 2024 demonstrated quite ingeniously, she needs to go further with her ideas. Describing the experience as a “breath of fresh air,” Espeute reinvented Sandie Saul Roy’s gallery by dressing the tables, windows, chairs, and bed with elegant garments entirely hand-crafted from vintage fabrics. Born from this experimental approach, she is delighted to introduce her curtain-clothing collection in February. “That’s how I like to create,” she says, “starting from a space of total freedom, before giving life to a reproducible piece.” Whatever wonderful sensitive object will she concoct for our homes next?
Written by Deborah Eydmann
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Further Information:
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Image Credits:
Lead Image: Portrait of Sarah Espeute by Clémentine Passet.
All other photo's by Maxine Verrert.