After a Parisian career as a well-known fashion editor, Catherine Denoual settled in Vietnam with her family in 1995. Rapidly caught up by the ambient energy and the excellence of handicraft, she created her first collection of home linen and decorative lights under the brand name of Catherine Denoual Maison. As she familiarized with life in Ho Chi Minh City and set out to decorate yet a new home,
Catherine became more and more aware of the local artisans. She had always felt a strong connection to the delicate intricacy of handmade artistry. Scouring markets to source textiles for her house led to meeting embroiderers, silk and rattan weavers, wrought iron workers, silversmiths, horn and mother-of-pearl carvers,…and eventually Catherine did not just embark on decorating her new house: she invited several of them to work with her in her home. Many of them still work with her today.
“My original intention was never to start a business but simply to try a few things out for myself. I also had an incredible passion for the work of these talented artisans and always felt that I had to find avenues to keep their artistry alive.” Catherine did not realize it then but she had planted the seed of what would come to be Catherine Denoual Maison.
