Three-Seven: Crafted in Saint-Germain-des-Près
Published on 1 August 2024
Caroline Petit founded her tableware and home decor brand without any prior knowledge of ceramics. Years later, her passion for the craft flourishes in her boutique-studio on Rue des Saints-Pères.
A Rapid Ascent to Success
Caroline Petit mastered ceramics at an astonishing pace, driven by her brand's swift success. "I spent twelve years in the United States," she recounts. "My husband and I would travel across the country, hunting for furniture to restore. We had secured a spot at Maison&Objet for September 2017 well in advance. However, when I became pregnant, our road trips came to an abrupt halt, leaving us with nothing to sell at the stand! To avoid wasting our investment, I spent the summer crafting ceramic prototypes, a hobby I had always enjoyed."
The couple expected to sell 300 pieces; instead, they received orders for 3,000. "I was overwhelmed. I rented a workshop, bought a kiln with the deposits, hired assistants, and produced everything on time—but with a 90% loss rate due to my inexperience." Seven years later, Caroline Petit has honed her craft through relentless effort and countless YouTube tutorials. Her tableware and decorative objects, featuring black ink graphic designs on earthenware, have garnered consistent acclaim.
A Boutique-Studio in the Heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
In 2021, she opened a boutique-studio on the chic Rue des Saints-Pères in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. "Like a restaurant, I wanted the 'kitchen' to be visible," she explains. The ambiance is as white as porcelain. This is where all Three-Seven pieces—vases, plates, and delicate diaphanous pendants—are handmade to order. Caroline’s desk is central, neighboring the drawing tables where Charles and Ophélie work silently. With fine-tipped styluses, they meticulously reproduce collection designs in black ink, each trained for two months to master the technique Caroline developed and maintain the original precision.
The workshop is undergoing a transformation: future collections will be crafted from porcelain, which is finer, less porous, and more durable. "I am obsessed with durability," Caroline admits. "Especially since my tableware is very delicate, it feels like holding an eggshell. With porcelain, we can enter the restaurant market."
This time, Caroline sought expert advice and impressed her advisors with her knowledge. The brand is also getting a new name: it will be rebranded as "Nome," a soft and rounded name. After Sèvres and Limoges, here comes porcelain, made in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
Discover the Caroline Petit MOM's selection
