Boat Sail Workshop in the Landes: A Guided Tour Behind the Scenes at OÈST
An exclusive report from inside the OÈST Ateliers workshop: sail area, sewing, woodwork, finishing. Discover where our recycled sail creations are born.
By OÈST Ateliers2 min read
Welcome to the OÈST Ateliers workshop
Tucked away in the Landes, the OÈST Ateliers workshop is an 80 m² space where recycled boat sail comes to life. This exclusive report takes you inside the four production areas that shape Nicolas de Chénerilles’s daily work.
Area 1: the sail store
At the entrance, wooden shelves hold around thirty folded sails. Each one is labelled: origin, material (Dacron, spinnaker, mylar), weight, condition. The colours form a vibrant patchwork, from the off-white of cruising sails to the yellows and reds of spinnakers.
Area 2: the cutting table
A large French oak table holds the sail chosen for the day’s project. Nicolas chalks out his patterns, aligns the fibres, then cuts with industrial shears. Precision is essential: cutting against the grain would make the piece fragile.
Area 3: the sewing space
At the back of the workshop, two industrial sewing machines stand ready. The first for long straight seams (bags, lampshades). The second for technical topstitching. Special needles for heavy canvas, reinforced threads. The space is bright, fitted with powerful overhead lighting.
Area 4: the woodshop
The wood corner brings together the band saw, the wood lathe and the finishing bench. This is where lamp bases, keyring tags and lampshade frames are born. French oak and ash dominate. A drift of wood shavings scents the air.
The morning ritual
Nicolas starts the day at 7:30 am with a coffee and a review of the orders. He selects the sails to work on, prepares his tools and switches on the machines. Production gets under way at around 8 am.
How long does it take to make a lamp?
- Sail selection + pattern-making: 30 min
- Cutting: 20 min
- Sewing the lampshade: 1 h 30
- Turning the wooden base: 1 h 30
- Sanding & finishing: 1 h
- Electrical assembly + tensioning the canvas: 45 min
- Numbering + packaging: 15 min
That’s ~6 hours of work per lamp. No wonder no two pieces can ever be exactly alike.
Visiting the workshop
The OÈST workshop is open to visitors by appointment. Ideal for curious individuals, groups (up to 8 people), journalists and B2B buyers (hoteliers, restaurant owners). Get in touch through the contact form.
To go further: the OÈST story, our DIY workshops, or our workshop report on how a bag is made.
