Elie Bleu - the haute couture of cabinet making

Elie Bleu – The Excellence of Wood Craftsmanship

Since 1976, Elie Bleu has been one of the world's leading cabinet makers. The French workshop practices the age-old French art form of "tabletterie", the production of small, elegant wooden objects in pure handicraft and highest precision. Its repertoire includes humidors, jewellery boxes, watch winders, and board games. Discover simple wooden objects in outstanding quality that will accompany you for a lifetime.

For their creations, Elie Bleu uses the most beautiful specimens of precious woods such as rosewood, mahogany, sycamore and ebony. The rare wood is complemented with inlays of noble materials such as gold and mother-of-pearl. The workshop's most valuable resource, however, is time. Perfection requires patience, because the living wood is always in motion. It can take up to half a year to complete a single humidor or watch winder.

The distinguished craftsmanship of Elie Bleu has admirers all over the world. Whether a diplomatic gift for great personalities, a prestigious exhibit in a Private Member's Club or a precious treasure for enthusiasts, those who seek excellence will find Elie Bleu.

Boxes of Beauty – The Art of Marquetry

The secret behind the perfect surfaces of Elie Bleu's boxes is their veneers of precious wood. Elie Bleu searches the world over for woods of exceptional quality to turn into veneers. The selected wood is left to dry in the air for ten years. Only sheets that do not have a single crack, hole or stain will be used in the end.

Even the detailed and colourful designs by Elie Bleu are made of veneer, realised in the exacting art form called marquetry. Artisans cut out individual shapes from coloured sheets of veneer and meticulously assemble them on a backing sheet like a puzzle. Only when the entire motif has been laid is it applied to the boxes and the backing sheet removed.

This technique offers the artisans a high degree of control and artistic expression. From the intensity of the colour to the direction of the grain, every detail is placed by hand. Creating a single piece of marquetry takes countless hours of work. That is why all Elie Bleu collections are produced in small numbers only, oftentimes not more than a few hundred or even just dozens of pieces.

Once the veneer work is complete, the surfaces are fixed with eight layers of lacquer and polished to a high gloss. This extreme effort not only gives the boxes vibrant colours and textures, but above all the everlasting shine for which Elie Bleu is famous.

Caribbean Treasure Boxes – Humidors by Elie Bleu

Some things require perfection. Thanks to their uncompromising quality, humidors by Elie Bleu have become the workshop's most popular work.

Crafted in perfect precision, Elie Bleu's humidors are airtight and ideally maintain the humidity necessary for storing cigars. Moreover, their stunning appearance represents the inestimable value of their delicate contents. That is why for many aficionados, devoted cigar enthusiasts, a humidor by Elie Bleu is the crowning glory of a cigar collection, the epitome of art in the name of passion.

Learn more about the humidors from Elie Bleu in our category for Smoking accessories.