Ribérac's Atelier du Bois

A local shop full of locally made artisanal pieces, that's the way it should be

In my last blog I referred to the disappearance south of our starlings, well I lied, they are still here but the tree they reside in has finally lost all its leaves, so now they have to pass the night sans couverture.  The nights are getting colder by degrees, although our tree ferns (Dicksonia Antartica) are still resplendent in the courtyard with no signs of 'browning off'.  Obviously it's not the leaf fall that triggers the birds' departure, nor can it be temperature (as we have had a few cold nights) nor can it be length of daylight hours.  I wonder what it is.  Perhaps they have all made a collective decision and decided to tough out a Dordogne winter, a decision they might yet live to regret seeing as it can drop down to as low as minus eleven degrees.  I hope they know what they are doing and of course if they do suddenly disappear I will keep you informed.   

A cheeseboard that would do justice to any cheese

Back in the summer, Ribérac welcomed a new business to its high street. 'L'Atelier du Bois' creates and sells all sorts of things made from wood.  Anne and Patrick have moved their business from Neuvic in order to try their luck in Ribérac and we wish them well.  Patrick can more or less craft anything you want from a piece of wood, normally oak, but he does also work in pine and walnut.  It all depends how deep your pockets are and the availability of the wood.  Lesley and I prefer oak, not only for its durability but also its beauty of grain and ability to build up a patina if one regularly feeds it with wax.  I find waxing furniture very therapeutic and I also adore the smell of the beeswax.  Alongside freshly brewed coffee and warmly baked brioche it's in my top three.  We have found several excuses to visit the shop and have treated ourselves to a bespoke coffee table, a lamp for our hallway and a cheeseboard fit enough to display any of France's finest cheeses. 

Anne stands proudly in front of Patrick's hand-crafted pieces

Classical designs in oak like this bed head and footboard are timeless

Lesley and I find it truly reassuring that within 5 minutes of our door we can find bespoke handmade furniture, several small enterprises that are able to repair almost any type of antique furntiure and even an atelier that specialises in stained glass, both antique and new.  I can't think that an equivalent English town would support quite so many entrepreneurial, artisanal businesses.  It is reassuring that shops like L'Atelier du Bois still open regardless of the mass overproduction of imported goods.  I believe there will always be a market for individual hand crafted pieces sought out by discerning people. Meanwhile it's the simple everyday pleasures that keep us going, ie waxing our magnificently crafted coffee table.

We bought this one.  We retain its grain and beauty by feeding it with walnut oil