History
2019
It all started in June 2019 with a table. The idea was to attach a small shelf to an existing urban bollard. I wanted to create one with my own design, using only reclaimed wood, in an upcycling spirit. After a few tests to validate the idea, I made a first prototype with wood scraps and a beer can cut in half to serve as an ashtray or flower pot.
While studying architecture (from 2018 to 2021), I developed the object and created a fastening system using wing nuts, which ensures perfect stability. I knew nothing about carpentry and had to learn everything with the help of an association in Versailles called ADN. I did what I could: I collected wood scraps after workshops and projects and made prototypes after classes.
I also created an ashtray that attaches around a pole. I carried out some tests on public roads to validate this second idea. I therefore deployed 3 ashtrays on poles, in front of metro stations, in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. The tests were conclusive: with an original object, passers-by are tempted to throw their cigarette butts into the ashtray. My long-term goal would be to prevent thousands of cigarette butts from ending up on the ground and, why not, to integrate them into a recycling chain one day.
After building up a sufficient stock of tables and ashtrays, I cycled around Paris to approach restaurateurs. Most of the time, they found the object "cool" and "innovative," which encouraged me and made me want to continue.
I remain convinced that a solid urban ashtray is necessary to reduce cigarette butt pollution on public roads. That's why I continue to innovate and design new objects!
2020
After a few weeks of discouragement, the Mayor of Paris announced the free extension of terraces following the first lockdown due to the Covid-19 epidemic. I seized the opportunity and decided to call back some restaurateurs who had been interested at the time. I then met Maxime, the owner of Sophomore (11th arrondissement). A great adventure had just begun.
Everything happened very quickly. I soon realized there was a Demand. I had to create the Supply. Small problem: I had nothing, almost no machines, no workshop, and only my own hands to produce. I started as best I could, making a few tables on my balcony in Paris, much to the displeasure of my parents, both working remotely. My neighbors were lulled by the sound of the circular saw for a few weeks before I found a more viable solution.
Good media coverage allowed me to launch quite quickly after the lockdown. I had the chance to speak with a journalist from Le Parisien, which helped me gain some clients and significant visibility. Following that, I appeared on M6's 7:45 PM news and in "L'innovation du jour" (Innovation of the Day), a segment on Europe 1 radio.
With the help of two friends, we found premises, which allowed us to mass-produce and meet delivery deadlines. I learned a tremendous amount, whether in mass production, customer relations, marketing, or negotiation!
I am very proud to have created a startup using reclaimed wood and I want to continue.
2021
After a year and a half of work, I am commercializing products made of steel and recycled wood! Everyone has a choice. Restaurateurs can opt for a handcrafted object made of recycled wood, or for a galvanized steel object, manufactured in the south of France!
2022
Alongside my urban planning studies at Sciences Po, I continue to develop the Urban Furniture branch of Extra Terrasse. I then decided to partner with La Tôlerie Forezienne, a Saint-Étienne industrial company located in Bonson, in the Loire region.
Thanks to their expertise and professionalism, that year we launched 2 products I designed: the Mégonette and the Cyclaccroche. In both cases, these are durable and solid products designed to avoid embedding furniture in the ground and thus cluttering public space.
2023
After making a wooden balcony table in 2021, I decided to create a new one in steel, which attaches to all railings, even if there's no balcony! Following Covid, city dwellers are spending more and more time at home, especially due to remote work, and I really wanted to offer a useful product that responds to these new lifestyles. I then decided to develop products for individuals, launching a new product for private customers in 2023: the Balconie.
"I imagined the Balconie during an evening," Félix
The Balconie is a table that allows you to create a new living space directly at home, to share a drink by the window, place an ashtray, and even grow plants.
2024
After selling a significant number of Balconies in 2023 and finishing my studies and apprenticeship, I decided to dedicate myself full-time to my entrepreneurial project.
I then joined a "Pépite," the network of student-entrepreneurs of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. I am attached to CNAM and Pépite Hesam Entreprendre for 2024 and I took the opportunity to release new Balconie models in 4 different colors!
That year, I was invited onto the BFM Business set and my product was featured in several French and international magazines like AD Magazine.
The launch of the new colors and the Balconie Grand is a real success! I then opened up new markets: Switzerland, Spain, and Italy! I moved into my first premises in Pantin, in the Paris region, and I manage all the shipping and packaging myself.
In June 2024, I participated in the Jardins Jardin exhibition at the Parc de la Villa Windsor, where I had the honor of winning the 2024 Innovation Prize!
In November 2024, I learned that I was a laureate of the Pépite Ile-de-France Award! This award encourages and supports business creation projects among young graduates from the Ile-de-France Region. It was presented by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, as well as by the Ile-de-France Region, BPI, and Pépite.
In December 2024, I also won the Pépite France Award, which recognizes innovative and creative projects by student-entrepreneurs nationwide, among a large network of 5,861 project leaders. This morning took place at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, and I am very proud to have received these two awards, so a big thank you to the Pépite France network.
To end the year on a high note, I launched a new product in my outdoor range: an ashtray for balconies! Already envisioned in 2021 with versions made from reclaimed wood, this model is back but in steel and with a simplified attachment system! Made in France, it is both practical, functional, and offered at an attractive price, making my range more accessible.
2024 was a particularly intense and decisive year for me. It confirmed that my project has potential, that my products are finding their place, and that I can now structure myself further.
2025
In 2025, I decided to return my premises in Pantin and relocate my stock to Dijon, closer to my manufacturer. This choice serves a dual objective: to collaborate with a professional logistics provider to better manage product shipping and to reduce my carbon footprint by limiting transport distances. Now, all my available products are shipped worldwide in less than 24 hours!
2025 also marks the launch of my first interior products, a natural evolution after my balcony creations, to offer practical and adapted objects for the home.
This year marks an important step in the brand's development with the launch of the Balconnière, a planter designed to complement my range dedicated to balconies. Developed with a landscape architect, it was designed so that plant roots develop better than in classic planters, while adapting to the constraints of railings. This new product makes me particularly proud, as it now allows me to offer a more complete and coherent range for furnishing balconies.
2026
After more than a year of reflection, I decided to introduce new colors for my balcony products. Sage Green, Garnet Red, Steel Blue, and Ochre enrich the existing shades, with the desire to offer products even more in line with my clients' universes and house facades. Today, the project continues to grow, with development accelerating both in France and internationally.
