About
Founder & Director
Vincent Delaroche
Vincent Delaroche, founder and director, has a unique background as an engineer-entrepreneur. After growing up in France, he spent nearly two decades in New York, the cosmopolitan city par excellence, where he nourished himself with varied cultural and artistic influences. Passionate about cabinetmaking and the origin of its raw material, the tree, he embraces the idea that by transforming it, the craftsman doesn't kill it but gives it a second life in the structures it becomes. A proponent of clean minimalist style, the opposite of flashy, Vincent defines the workshop's creative line and advocates elegance and nobility in sobriety, and the principle that harmony resides in the natural.
He is also accountable for strategic decisions — starting with the exclusive choice of solid wood. Solid wood is a choice that represents both an opportunity and a challenge: An opportunity because solid wood gives each piece a unique character, a true personality. A challenge, because solid wood retains its freedom: it lives, it moves. A master cabinetmaker anticipates these movements, but there remains in solid wood something irreducible, which you don't find in industrial furniture, and which makes it singular. Particularly black walnut, whose unique grain and patterns sublimate each creation.
Workshop Manager
Aurélien Roblin
Before joining Ateliers Vau Fontaine, Aurélien, with his expertise in fine cabinetmaking, worked for numerous renowned companies where he showcased French craftsmanship and know-how, trained many apprentices, and discovered other cultures and artisanal techniques internationally, acquiring over time an uncommon mastery of his craft and open-mindedness. In France, he worked at Rinck, a renowned cabinetmaking firm, then in aviation for private aircraft interiors; next in Finland, with the Rintala family, famous for their avant-garde approach, on projects by designer Tuula Falk, named "Furniture Designer of the Year" in 1996; and also in Saint Petersburg, at Moskovski Zastava, on projects for historicmansions and luxury private houses ; and finally in French Polynesia, for a luxury hotel with interior design by Stark. Subsequently, Aurélien became an independent craftsman, working for eleven years on highly varied projects: high-end fitting, bespoke creations, heritage restoration, particularly in Italy and again in Russia. Committed daily to excellence and very fine wood working, without any compromise, and passionate about well-conceived and well-crafted work, he brings his rich and extensive experience to serve the future happy owners of furniture by ‘Les Ateliers Vau Fontaine’.
Craftsmen & Apprentices
Bertrand Defline
Graduate of École Boulle, atypical profile since he was a dental surgeon in another life, Bertrand also contributes to the creations. He is a fervent follower of the Japanese Kodama, according to which the tree is not simply a material, but a living being that possesses its own life, and deserves respect. An animistic vision of nature that resonates particularly well with the philosophy of Les Ateliers Vau Fontaine.
Apprentices are enrolled from the “Compagnons du devoir” circuit, as well as technicians and engineers in career transition. Especially those with sharp minds, skilled hands, sincere passion for their craft, and love of careful and fine wood work.
