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Photo credit: Floriane Retaux
A conversation with founders Capucine Guhur and Maëva Henninot, the duo behind ANTES — a young architecture and design studio born from a deep friendship and a shared creative vision. Based in Marseille, they create spaces where materials, history, and artisanal know-how come together.
From the Marseille boutique they envisioned as a mineral jewel box to the Sessùn REEL project in Shanghai, inspired by their work with straw, ANTES expresses a poetic, timeless architectural language shaped by the places that present themselves and the artisans who work alongside them.
To begin with, can you introduce yourselves and share your respective journeys?
We both graduated from the Camondo School, though in different years. Our paths first crossed at the same firm, and it didn’t take long for a bond, almost sisterly, to form between us. Since then, our personal and professional journeys have continually intersected. We’ve always admired each other’s careers and achievements, and over time, it became clear that our aesthetic sensibilities and creative DNA were naturally in harmony. When we both ended up living in the same city, Marseille, a series of signs — crossing paths on our respective projects, or when visiting clients and artisans, and countless other moments — made it feel as though destiny was guiding us toward this shared path.
How did the Antes project come about? What sparked this shared adventure?
Antes was born from a shared desire: to grow, to gain independence, and to explore together a vision of architecture and design that truly reflects who we are. While each of us pursued our own work, certain potential projects highlighted the possibility of joining forces. Before long, the notion of founding our own studio emerged as an obvious next step.
Capucine, you won the inaugural Sessùn Craft Prize in 2023. How did that experience shape your work or open up new directions? This project also informed the architectural concept for REEL Shanghai — could you tell us more about it?
Winning the Sessùn Craft Prize in 2023 introduced me to a creative world I had never explored before. It was a true opportunity and a springboard, allowing me to develop several pop-up stores for the brand. A working connection formed effortlessly from the start: each project unfolded with remarkable ease, as if we had been collaborating for years. The Craft Prize also led me to a material I had never worked with before — straw — and to extraordinary artisans, curious and attentive, who were a joy to collaborate with.
The Sessùn REEL boutique in Shanghai is a natural continuation of that journey, drawing inspiration from both the Craft Prize and the pop-up stores. With Maëva and the Sessùn team, we felt there was a story worth extending, and that, in dialogue with Chinese craftsmanship, this material could give rise to a new form of poetry.
You recently renovated Sessùn’s boutique in Marseille. Could you tell us about the project — your intentions, your choice of materials, and the atmosphere you aimed to create?
For this project, Sessùn placed great trust in us. We wanted to create a space that was at once understated, refined, warm, and colorful — one that would showcase the brand’s wardrobe to its fullest. We envisioned the boutique as a jewel box: a strong, yet deliberately quiet space, allowing the materials and textiles to speak for themselves.
The architectural envelope draws inspiration from the pillars of Mediterranean temple architecture, particularly in Italy and Greece, subtly evoking the brand’s origins. This intention is reinforced by a mineral material that envelops the space. The sun-drenched materials of the South contrast with the very dark floor, designed to emphasize the sculptural presence of the shell.
Early on, collaborating with artists and artisans became a natural choice, allowing the space to be accented with unique pieces, almost like works of art.
What are your main sources of inspiration, whether in your craft, your design work, or in your exploration of materials?
Our main sources of inspiration are all around us. Both of us hail from Brittany and northern France, and although the Mediterranean shapes our daily lives, we remain deeply attuned to our native lands, to raw materials, and to the history of the places we work in. When it comes to materials, we draw inspiration from different eras and styles, and we willingly combine them to create spaces that aspire to timelessness.
For this project, you collaborated with several artisans. Could you tell us about them, their craft, and what guided you in selecting them?
From the outset, we wanted to explore the interplay of highly contrasting materials — glass, porous ceramic, and glazed ceramic — all of which are both powerful and delicate. We enjoy playing with these contrasts, and the approach proved ideal: the dialogue between the materials is deeply poetic, with the light creating particularly rich effects. We designed the luminaires and façade elements developed by Studio Mo-Mo, beautifully brought to life by the delicate handiwork of Claire Pegis, an artisan glassmaker.
Sculptor Léa Bigot designed the display steles that showcase the accessories, while Victor Marqué created a set of ceramic tiles for the checkout area, with curves and lines directly inspired by Sessùn’s vision.
Our intention was to let each craft speak for itself, while creating an overall harmony that is both joyful and coherent.
How would you describe the encounter between your artistic vision and Sessùn’s during this collaboration?
Sessùn’s vision naturally resonates with ours — a deep respect for materials and a shared commitment to highlighting artisanal craftsmanship. In a world that is constantly accelerating, where the artificial often dominates, we share the desire to preserve traditional gestures, skills, and the subtlety of the art of making by hand.
You’re currently working on new projects — could you tell us a bit more about them?
We are currently working on two residential projects, as well as a Michelin-starred restaurant in the heart of Paris. As a young studio, we are fortunate to be supported by clients who are attuned to materials and who place their trust in us from the start.
We are also in discussions for a hotel project, which we expect to be confirmed soon. And, of course, after the Shanghai and Marseille boutiques, we would be thrilled to have the opportunity to design new spaces for Sessùn or other brands!
