This is a wall decoration woven from willow.

The makers are Karen and Corentin of L’Oseraie de l’île, who work in southwestern France.

This form is what they call “Engrenages,” which means “gears” in French.

The two makers also create large-scale works that stretch across the walls of museums and galleries.

This particular piece was specially made in a more compact size at our request,
as it was their first time sending a work to Japan.

You can display it with either side facing forward.

However, there is a front and a back, and on the front side the center is slightly recessed.

This is a photo that Karen and Corentin sent before shipping the piece to Japan.

As shown here, simply leaning it against a wall can also create a lovely atmosphere.

This is a photo taken in our shop during “The One Table” special exhibition.

It also looks wonderful when hung in space like this.
When suspended, it seems to bring a gentle rhythm to the space.

Since first seeing this work at the World Basketry Festival in Poland in 2015,
we have hoped one day to introduce the spiral forms created by L’Oseraie de l’île to our customers.

We hope you will enjoy them in your own way.

Basketry Duo “L’Oseraie de l’île”
— From Traditional French Baskets to Contemporary Art —

L’Oseraie de l’île is a willow farm in southwestern France.

At this farm—whose name means “the willow grove of the island”—Karen and Corentin work together as a couple,
carrying out everything from growing willow to weaving baskets.

After studying at an art university, Karen encountered willow basket weaving during a training period in Ireland,
and later learned the craft at the National School of Willow Growing and Basketry in Fayl-Billot.

Meanwhile, Corentin visited makers of the traditional Périgord willow basket known as the “Bouyricou.”
Drawn strongly to its spiral structure, he chose to pursue basket making as his path.

Today, the two continue their work while cultivating around twenty varieties of willow themselves.

“Working together in the workshop and weaving willow at our own rhythm brings us joy,” they say.
From traditional basketry to works exhibited as contemporary art, the forms created by their hands are always striking.

We hope you enjoy the beauty of the willow curves they create—simple, yet full of movement.

For more about the two makers and how we first met them, please see our journal here.

An Encounter with Karen and Corentin

L’Oseraie de l’île — Baskets Born from the Willow Fields