Founded in 1963 in a small town on the outskirts of Bordeaux, the French company Garabos specialises in plastering and staff work. In 2024, the company embarked on a new path with the creation of Garabos Editions, a brand of plaster furniture and objects. We interviewed the Garabos team to learn more about their new venture, the market in France and their participation at Maison&Objet.
Boris Garabos, Tania Clémente and Léa Garabos.
Can you tell us a little bit about the history of Garabos and how it was founded?
'The company was founded in 1963 by Pierre Garabos, a plasterer by training, in Latresne, a small town on the outskirts of Bordeaux. Bruno and Jean Claude Garabos took over the company in the early 1980s. Together, they developed the plasterboard part of the business, followed by staff work, a natural extension of the traditional plasterer's trade. Historically, the company has worked on Bordeaux vineyards, architects' houses and historic buildings in the Aquitaine region. Today, the company employs 60 people, 30% of whom are journeymen specialising in the now rare trades of traditional plastering and staff work. In 2024, the company embarked on a new path, that of decoration, with the creation of Garabos Editions, a brand of plaster furniture and objects.'
How are the market conditions right now?
'The company is part of the French construction sector. The overall market is currently rather sluggish because of higher interest rates and town councils that are keen to stop artificialising land. As for the vineyards, they are investing less. Indeed, global competition is becoming increasingly fierce, and the Chinese market, long a driving force for French winegrowers, has fallen considerably in terms of volume. However, we hope that the company's diversification into the more specific construction sector will enable us to meet new customers who are less subject to these factors.'
'The conditions we've described above mean tougher competition, with sharp price cuts and consequent liquidations. The high-end construction sector, currently made up of a large number of small SMEs, is seeing a tendency for these small companies to disappear in favour of organisations belonging to larger structures, or even groups.'
You were recently at the Maison&Objet fair. How did it go?
'The show was a great success for us. We've been preparing the launch of the "temporal dialogue" collection for two years now. We weren't used to designing, innovating and creating prototypes. While we haven't yet seen any concrete changes in our business, it's been an incredible experience for the company. We have had a lot of very positive feedback on our creations. We've had the chance to talk to many people involved in our traditional market, including architects and interior designers.'
What did you show at the fair?
'We presented the "temporal dialogue" collection of objects. This collection was designed by the La Racine studio, which really understood the company's DNA and was able to translate it into the design of the objects. The collection comprises a table, a mantelpiece, a console, a floor lamp, a chandelier and two wall lights. Naturally, each of these objects is made from plaster, the preferred raw material of the staffers who produced them in our workshops.'
What are the future plans for Garabos?
'A staffer can do just about anything with plaster. The initial idea for us was really to use all his talent to make something other than ornaments for the construction sector. That's why we presented plaster objects. Of course, we'd like this collection to find its way into iconic places, but we'd also like people to take inspiration from it and incorporate our skills into other projects, whether simple or unique. In the short and medium term, we plan to present our collection, with the addition of new pieces, in new locations, both in France and abroad.'
More information:
Garabos
05 56 32 00 23
[email protected]
www.garabos.com
France