Volupté Studio
Please share a bit about yourselves.
We’re Alexandra and Eloise, co-founders of Volupté Studio in Madrid. We come from different countries and creative backgrounds, but we share the same instinct: to design objects that feel lived in, elemental, and quietly elegant. Volupté is our meeting point, where design, craftsmanship, and curiosity all sit at the same table.
What first drew you to ceramics and design, and how did these mediums become central to your creative expression?
Ceramics gave us a direct conversation with matter. Clay remembers every decision, yet making “just to make” has never sat easily with us. We’re acutely aware of resources; a bowl is a bowl. If we bring another object into the world, it has to earn its place. Design gives the work its ethics and structure: how a form is sized, how it stacks, how it ages, and how it can be repaired. Together, ceramics and design become a test: can this object serve daily life, minimise waste, and still move you? If the answer isn’t yes to all three, we keep working.
Could you tell us how Volupté Studio started and what inspired its creation?
It started from friendship and a desire for connection. When we met in Madrid four years ago, it was one of those friendships where every time you spend time together, you want to know more about each other. We immediately started talking about what made us feel alive and what made us search for more. It was after COVID and months of lockdown, and we were both at a point in our lives where we felt lost. We wanted to work together because we gave each other energy. We started Volupté Studio because we wanted to create a place where that energy could grow.
How did your practice take root in Madrid, and what has it been like to build a studio and shape your lives around your craft?
It’s been a true education. We’re not Spanish, and we come from different cultural rhythms and ways of working, so building a business here meant learning the city, the language of suppliers, and, just as importantly, each other’s crafts. We made mistakes, adapted quickly, and learned to think on our feet. Over time, the studio became inseparable from who we are. The photographs we take, the pieces we design, everything reflects our present moment. Volupté feels less like a brand we perform and more like a life we live.
Can you take us through your process? Do you have any particular rituals that help you dive into it with greater ease and foster a more natural flow?
We design as a duo, so conversation is our first tool. We start with long discussions and quick sketches, then move into material trials, asking how a form might behave in clay, plaster, or another surface. An orderly studio helps us focus; clear tables lead to clearer decisions. Nature is our main reference point: the way a coastline breaks, the grain of a rock face, the softness of a fold in fabric. We chase those textures and translate them into functional objects.
When it comes to the tactile aspects of your work and their connection to your body, how does the hands on nature impact your overall happiness and well being?
Well being, for us, comes from being present, but that is true of anything in life. Repetition is our meditation. The rhythm of the work, preparing clay, casting, trimming, and finishing, creates a balance that feels grounding. At the same time, this is our livelihood, and when you’re tired, that same repetition can become numbing if the mind and body disconnect. We try to keep them in conversation: to notice, to breathe, and to adjust. It’s a daily balancing act, and we don’t pretend to have mastered it. We simply return to the table and begin again.
Looking at the contemporary craft landscape, where do you see the greatest opportunities for preserving and reinterpreting important local traditions?
Our goal is reinterpretation. It is impossible never to change, but it is also unnecessary to forget. We believe traditions stay alive when they evolve. We’re fortunate to work closely with Martial Quéré, a French master artisan who has been part of Volupté since the beginning. He brings five decades of honest, tool in hand knowledge. No frills, no trends, just craft. His perspective keeps us grounded and precise, while our eye for detail and design language gently push the work forward. The meeting of those two sensibilities is where continuity and renewal happen.
Are there any new projects, themes, or directions you are currently exploring that feel particularly connected to your practice?
We’re currently studying geological surfaces, cracked stone, stratified rock faces, and naturally symmetrical fractures, exploring how to interpret them in our pieces. It’s less about copying nature and more about understanding the logic beneath it: stress, time, pressure, and release, then allowing those forces to guide structure and texture.
How can people engage more closely with your work, whether through your pieces, exhibitions, or online presence?
Our studio is in the centre of Madrid, and we love hosting visits by appointment. You can discover our work online at www.soyvolupte.com and on Instagram @voluptestudio. We’re always open to conversations, whether you’re a collector, a chef, a designer, or simply someone who appreciates well made objects. Come and say hello, we’d love to meet you.
All photos belong to Volupté Studio.
Hand cast in plaster by Volupté Studio in Madrid, the Seam Candle Holder draws inspiration from geological rock formations and fractured stone. Composed of two sculptural forms joined by a precise seam, it explores the meeting point between natural landscapes and contemporary design. With its textured surface and architectural silhouette, the candle holder functions as both a sculptural object and a holder for a standard taper candle, celebrating the subtle variations created through the handmade process.
Handcrafted in stoneware by Volupté Studio in Madrid, the Nao Cocotte combines sculptural form with practical function. Designed for serving warm dishes, its generous proportions retain heat while bringing a considered presence to the table. Made using the studio’s own stoneware and glazes, each cocotte is individually finished by hand, resulting in subtle variations that celebrate the character of handcrafted ceramics.
Handcrafted in ceramic by Volupté Studio in Madrid, the Stone Bloom Vase draws inspiration from weathered rock formations and geological landscapes. Its softly rounded silhouette and tactile surface reflect the forms shaped by wind, water, and time, creating a sculptural vessel for fresh flowers, branches, or seasonal foliage. Each vase is individually made, allowing the natural variations of the ceramic process to give every piece its own character.
