Manufacture
Manufacturing
Our objects are designed in Switzerland and crafted locally with experienced artisans. The singular nature of the materials we use makes working by hand a necessary consequence of the process. Rather than standardising their irregularities, we work with them - preserving the traces, imperfections and character that make each piece unique.
Materials are sourced selectively - from metal and reclaimed elements to stone - chosen not simply for their origin, but for their quality, character and ability to age well.
Origin
Every piece begins with material already living a second life - stone from a demolition site, marble from a shop renovation, steel found rather than mined new. From there, orphéen works with manufacturing partners in Switzerland and, where the material calls for it, further afield - chosen for how a piece is actually made, not for where it is cheapest.
Shipping
Nothing leaves the workshop unchecked by hand. Shipping is tracked door to door, and every order carries the same return terms regardless of size or price.
Our Story
Philosophy
Orphéen started from a simple discomfort: that broken things are usually thrown away before anyone asks whether the break is interesting. Kintsugi - the Japanese practice of repairing ceramics with lacquer and gold, or metall in our case, so the crack stays visible instead of hidden - became less a technique to borrow and more a way of choosing materials.
Practice
A demolition site, a store renovation, an abandoned building: not scavenging for its own sake, but a way of designing that starts after something has already had a first life. The result sits somewhere between architecture and product - objects meant to be used, but aswell built like they were meant to be looked at too
