Introducing L'Atelier: Pieces We’ve Collected, Now Shared
A glimpse into one of our full-design projects, styled and accessorized with pieces from L'Atelier, each chosen to bring the space to life
There is a moment in every project, somewhere between the mood board and the final reveal, when a room begins to breathe. Not because of the architecture, or even the furniture plan, but because of the objects. The sculptural vase that catches light at 4pm. The artisan throw that softens an otherwise precise sofa. The handcrafted woven basket that turns a corner of a room into a destination.
These are the pieces our clients never knew existed until they saw them in their own homes. And for years, we kept them to ourselves. We sourced these items through trade channels, carried across continents, arriving quietly in the back of a van before a reveal day. They were part of what made our projects unmistakably ours.
Launching L'Atelier is our way of opening that door a little wider.
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What Is L'Atelier, Exactly?
"The right object doesn't demand attention. It completes a room quietly, as if it were always meant to be there."
Dominique Fowler, Principal Designer at DFI Interiors and Owner of L’Atelier
L'Atelier is DFI Interiors' curated online shop, where we showcase a carefully edited collection of home décor and design objects that we stand behind completely, because we have used them in our own projects. Every piece on the platform is trade-sourced: the kind of thing you simply cannot easily find in a US retail store, and that professionals in the design world have kept quietly among themselves.
Think of it as the back room of a small European artisan boutique, except organized, accessible, and delivered to your door. We have taken the relationships we have built with artisans, ateliers, and specialty manufacturers across Europe and the US, and made them available to a wider circle of people who care as deeply about their homes as we do.
“A beautiful home is not about perfection. It is about intention and choosing objects that carry meaning, texture, and a point of view.”
Why Now, and Why Us?
The interior design industry has changed. More homeowners than ever are informed, design-literate, and actively involved in shaping their spaces, whether they are working with a designer or not. But the gap between what trade professionals can access and what is available to the broader public remains wide.
Retail has become homogeneous. The same ceramic, the same rattan pendant, the same linen cushion, amplified across social media until it appears in homes on every continent. We find that deeply unsatisfying. Great interiors are built on differentiation, on objects that feel discovered rather than delivered from an algorithm.
"The objects in a home tell its story. L'Atelier exists to give you access to the pieces that make that story worth telling."
Dominique about L’Atelier’s core message
“My European roots have always shaped how I see interiors. Growing up surrounded by old-world craftsmanship, boutiques in Le Marais in Paris, the ceramicists in Lisbon, Portugal, Artisanal Pottery in Marrakesh, the textile houses of Belgium gave me an eye for the quietly exceptional. L'Atelier is the expression of that eye. Every product is considered, tested in real projects, and chosen because it does something that mass-market décor simply cannot do: it makes a room feel genuinely, irreversibly yours.” says Dominique.
How to Use L'Atelier
If you are a current or past DFI client, think of L'Atelier as an extension of our studio. This is a place to find the objects we would select for you, available whenever inspiration strikes rather than only during a project.
These artisan ceramics are directly imported from Morrocco. They are hand made and unique.
If you are not working with a designer, L'Atelier gives you access to the same calibre of objects that go into $2M+ residential projects, with the confidence that every piece has been vetted by a professional eye. Use it to elevate a room that is nearly there. Use it to invest in one object that transforms a space entirely. Use it the way we do: slowly, deliberately, with intention.
And if you have been thinking about working with our studio, on a full-scope residential project or through our à la carte design service (which begins at just 20 hours of dedicated design time), L'Atelier gives you a tangible sense of our taste before we ever sit down together.
“The objects in a home tell its story. L’Atelier exists to give you access to the pieces that make that story worth telling.”
What You Will Find There
The collection is kept intentionally small. We would rather offer thirty exceptional things than three hundred adequate ones. Categories rotate as we discover new makers and retire what no longer excites us. This keeps our assortment fresh and means what you see today may not be there next season. We update with new finds from our ongoing project sourcing, trade shows, and the ateliers we visit throughout the year.
“Every mark, every subtle variation in glaze, every slightly uneven edge are not flaws. They are the fingerprints of the hands that made it. That is precisely what makes it irreplaceable."
Dominique about the uniqueness of the pieces at L’Atelier
Expect objects with provenance: ceramics with visible hand marks, baskets with exceptional colors, trade only and unique textiles, vessels that reward a second look. Things that photograph beautifully but live even better.
✦ A note on availability
Because every piece in L'Atelier is handcrafted by independent artisans and small ateliers, quantities are inherently limited and intentionally so. These are not items produced in a factory to meet demand. They are made by hand, one at a time, by makers who prioritize quality over volume. Once a piece sells out, it may not return. If something catches your eye, we gently encourage you not to wait.
Our Invitation to You
L'Atelier is, at its heart, an act of generosity, This is our way of sharing what we have always known: that the right object, in the right place, at the right moment, can change how you feel in your own home.
We have spent years building relationships, refining our eye, and earning the trust of clients who have become friends. L'Atelier is where that work becomes visible beyond the walls of any single project.
We hope you find something there that makes you stop scrolling. That is precisely the point.
— Dominique & the DFI team
Ready to explore?
Discover our curated collection of trade-sourced, handcrafted décor objects or enquire about working with DFI Interiors on your next residential project.
