Design-Nation: Fleur Grenier

Pewter and design are at the heart of Fleur Grenier’s practice. She first discovered pewter’s qualities whilst using it for a project at university over 25 years ago and has loved working with it ever since. The material’s versatility and its ability to lend itself to many different techniques, result in a freedom to create unique pieces. The process of design, taking an idea, understanding the function and producing an object to perform this role that is both visually pleasing and tactile is essential to Fleur’s work and something she particularly enjoys.

One the benefits of working with pewter is that there is very little waste, as any scrap, offcuts or rejected castings can be put back into the pot and remelted, to then be recycled into new work. All of the pewter Fleur purchases and uses in her work is lead-free. Due the nature of the material and Fleur having all the relevant skills and techniques such as mould-making and casting means that she has a minimal carbon footprint, as none of her work needs to be sent out for any processes.

There is a sculptural fluidity to Fleur’s designs which the pewter compliments: she enjoys exploring this undervalued yet beautiful metal’s capabilities. Fleur’s exploration has led to a range of contemporary products, one-off sculptural pieces and bespoke commissions. She also incorporates and combines other materials in her work with pewter: such as concrete, glass, ceramic, wood and slate.