Atelier de Campagne

If you haven’t heard of Atelier de Campagne, then sit back and enjoy because you are in for a treat! 

Atelier de Campagne was founded 16 years ago by Johan DeMeulenaere and Trinidad Castro. Johan has a degree in Interior and Furniture Design and Trinidad has an extensive background in Art. When they first met about 15 years ago, they discovered that among their affinities, they both had a love for antiques and unique object d’art. Trinidad says “there are many aspects that I love about this line of work: certainly working with Johan is a gift, he is an amazingly creative person, but aside from that, a wonderful human being. There is an unbelievable degree of mutual respect, trust, and caring for each other. He is family to me.” 

I took this from their Facebook page as it best describes the company.”We are direct importers of European antiques with a focus on French and French inspired interior and exterior furniture, lighting, architectural, antiques and brocante.” They initially did not import but sold the pieces that Johan created from vintage materials and other items that they found at other vintage events. The import business started 10 years ago and since then they have brought 18 containers from Europe. Atelier de Campagne normally holds two Container Unloading Sales per year at their property in Corralitos Ca. You can also find them  in an antiques collective at Center Street Antiques in Soquel CA, which is next door to Santa Cruz.

I asked Trinidad if they ever thought about opening up their own store. He replied “we have talked about opening our own store, but for now, we prefer doing the shows and participating in antique fairs, like the Alameda Antique Faire, the Rose Bowl Flea Market, and the Long Beach Antique Market.” This year, they will be at Three Speckled Hens, Goat Hill Fair, and Remnants of the Past, and have also participated in Chateau Sonoma’s French Flea Market. 

Another thing they love is hunting for treasures throughout Europe. Although they focus on buying French antiques, they do also shop in Belgium, Holland, England, and even Germany. How fun would that be?? Trinidad got to go to Leipzig once, and this summer he is even going to England for the first time. Johan loves working on things that need repair, touch up, paint, and he loves to create vignettes and photographing them so they can post them on their web site, use them on their blog, and post them on Facebook and Pinterest. And if that’s not enough, they’re also looking into publishing a book. 

Martin joined Atelier de Campagne more recently and he has been a good addition in that he is more savvy on issues of technology and encourages them to utilize it to our advantage. He has also been a great help by going to the shows and events with Trinidad and helping with the sales. He also enjoys the energy of the shows and meeting new customers. Martin, Trinidad, and Johan all love seeing customers gleefully admiring their items, their set up, and walking away happy with their new treasures. 

Here are some very inspiring photos of some of their work.

Amazing work!

Wouldn’t it be great if this was your backyard? I know we would love it!

Great setup! I love the wine bottle holder in the back.

Atelier de Campagne takes such high quality photos!

The detail is unbelievable! Great job

Please take time and let Atelier de Campagne know how great they are by leaving your comments of appreciation! You can also follow their blog, website, Twitter, and visit them on Facebook!