Neolithique is a sustainable design project that gives new life to already extracted, unused stones through minimal transformation. Each piece is crafted in limited editions.

Repose: How would you describe what you do?

Dominique: Some people say I’m an artist, but I don’t feel like an artist. I think I feel more like a maker. I make things with whatever I find: right now, it’s pencils, so I draw; if it’s clay, I make bowls. I make objects, but not like Philippe Starck. He makes industrial objects, which is not the same thing. I really like the term “maker.”
In France, there’s always this separation between craftsmen and artists. An artist has a process. He does it for himself, often because he’s hurting somewhere, and it heals him. 
When I do something without being commissioned, just because I feel like it, then maybe it’s art.

Repose: How did the idea for this project come about?

Dominique: It came naturally. I first made steel cubes for a project with Stéphanie Marin in Nice, who makes pebble cushions. She had a store in Nice, and we wanted to create a small concept store. Later, I wanted to add stone to these cubes, so I looked for a stonemason. When I presented the project to him, he explained that it wasn’t as simple as I thought. But we got along well, and I started designing some office accessories: pencil holders, pencil cases. And the next day, we started working together, and that’s how Néolithique was born.

Repose: What challenges did you face when starting the project or trying to make a living from creativity?

Dominique: I’ve always worked alone. At first, I lived with my parents and had a small motorcycle. I made business cards, then catalogs, and little by little, it grew. I started with product design. I had studied computer management, but I didn’t want to do that.  I did technical illustrations, documentation, then marketing, then websites… and that’s how I got into graphic design.
But I always came back to product design, because that’s what I love.

Repose: Now that your project is real and up and running, do you think it still embodies the essence of the original idea?

Dominique: Yes, completely. I have many more ideas than I have time to realize them. I write everything down in notebooks, but out of ten ideas, I only realize two. I would need several lifetimes to do everything. Sometimes old ideas come back.

Repose: What excites you most about your work?

Dominique: It’s just fun. I work mainly for myself. I do what I like, the way I like it. If I create artworks or designs on request I like to explain my approach, to educate clients a little so they understand why I choose a particular color or shape. I always assume that they don’t know, so I do it and explain why afterwards.

Repose: What does a typical day look like for you?

Dominique: It depends. At one point, I was very productive and often spent time at the marble workshop. Nowadays, I’ve slowed down. When the weather is nice, I go swimming in the morning, make brunch, think a little in the sun, and then come here to work. Often, it’s at night that I feel most inspired.

Repose: And where does your creativity come from?

Dominique: I let myself be inspired by the material. It’s not “pure” creativity, it’s not “hey, I’m going to make this shape.” I start with what I have. For example, at first I wanted to make square holes in my office accessories, but the marble worker told me it would be too complicated. So I made round holes. The material dictates the design. I didn’t inherit anything, I learned by doing, by experimenting.

Repose: What would you say to the person you were when you launched this project?

Dominique: I wouldn’t change anything. I spent five years in the marble workshop, but it was difficult. My main problem was how the workers spoke to me, rudely, saying that everything I did was rubbish. I learned a lot from them, humility, to put my ego aside.

Repose: What excites you most about your current project? And for the future?

Dominique: My freedom, is the most precious thing I have. Getting up in the morning, doing what I want, going to the sea, breaking rocks…that’s my wealth.