Henryot & Cie for "Le secret des conteuses" (The secret of storytellers)
To mark the premiere of the play "Le secret des conteuses" by playwright Martine Amsili, Henryot, the prestigious manufacturer of chairs since 1867, created 4 chairs and 4 stools from the 17th century to decorate the play.
It all began in Gallo-Roman times, when the Latin name for Liffol le Grand, "Lucus Fagus", meant "sacred beech wood".
Beechwood has been worked for centuries in this region of north-eastern France, home to many craftsmen until the advent of the industrial era in the 19th century. It is said that Joan of Arc's spinning wheel was turned in Liffol le Grand (15th century).
In 1867, Clément Henryot set up his own chair factory with around twenty journeymen. At this time, the Henri II style predominated, characterised by the production of turned chairs. After the reign of Napoleon III, the style evolved towards copying 18th century antiques.
It was then that Louis Henryot, grandson of Clément Henryot, took over the company and, with the help of workers from the Faubourg Saint-Antoine in Paris, produced sumptuous models in antique copies. In the 1930s, the most prestigious designers entrusted the company with the production of models such as those for the ocean liner Normandie. By 1945, the Henryot company, under the management of André Henryot, had 40 employees. As orders increased and the company's capital grew, it was renamed Style et Confort in 1954. Through their mother and grandmother Louise Henryot, Roitel's children and grandchildren remain direct descendants of the founder. In terms of expertise and capacity, Style et Confort became the leading French company specialising in copying old furniture into top-of-the-range seats.
