TIPTOE by Emilie Capato
What does TIPTOE look like through an artist’s eyes?
Constantly in search of inspiration, we gave artists carte blanche to reinterpret our pieces within their own universe. A way to bring together two creative fields and discover TIPTOE from a different perspective. Meet illustrator and graphic designer Emilie Capato.
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Emilie Capato, founder of atelier mio. I’m a freelance illustrator and graphic designer based in Lyon, specializing in the culinary field.
My work is inspired by everyday objects and moments: tables set with antique tableware, flowers from the market, seasonal fruits and vegetables. But also by the still lifes of my favorite painters, Pierre Boncompain, Henri Matisse, and Pierre Bonnard. The table, a recurring subject in my illustrations, is an everyday one. It’s the table for a Sunday breakfast, a winter snack, or a festive dinner. An interpretation of convivial, indulgent, and colorful moments.
I use different mediums for my illustrations: embroidery, engraving, or digital, but everything always starts with drawing, composition, and finally color.
How would you define your creative universe?
Colorful and comforting—that’s what I try to convey through my illustrations, at least.
Where do you find inspiration every day?
In all everyday objects, first in my own home and then very often in other people’s too. When I have an idea for a table or a scene to depict, before I start drawing I research the objects I could place in that image. Pinterest and Instagram are obviously great sources of inspiration. I also like to look for ideas from design object publishers such as Alessi, TIPTOE, and Vitra. And when I go out to a café, bar, or restaurant, I’ve made a habit of photographing or drawing the table elements that I like and that catch my eye: a glass, a water carafe, a pretty plate. And of course, in painting, at museums, and in films.
How important is your home to you? What does it say about you?
I give a lot of importance to my home, especially since I’ve been working from home more and more over the past few years. I need to feel good there, and decor plays a big part in that. I need to have plenty of books within view, images by my favorite illustrators on the wall, plants, natural light, and color.
Why did you choose the DUKE bench for your home?
For years, I’ve been holding on to chairs I bought for next to nothing at a reuse center. Some of them are very damaged, so I wanted to replace them, and I was looking for a convivial seating option. I love large gatherings around the table with very eclectic seating. I may have aimed a little high with the DUKE bench—the living room table looks tiny I’ll have to wait until I have more space to make my dreams of big communal tables come true!
What inspired you about the idea of bringing our objects into your world?
Stepping outside my comfort zone by working on a broader scene than just the tabletop, moving away from the table and into the kitchen with the TIPTOE wall shelves, which I loved designing. And finally moving out of the kitchen and into the living room—that was actually the illustration I struggled with the most. But it’s always good to step outside your comfort zone, and that was kind of the challenge I set myself with this collaboration!
A recent creative discovery you’d like to share with us?
It’s more of a rediscovery: the work of Nathalie Du Pasquier. I knew her work as a designer and graphic artist for the Memphis Movement, as well as her recent painting practice centered on compositions of colorful geometric shapes. But I recently discovered her figurative paintings made in the early 2000s up until 2008. Compositions of everyday objects—glasses, carafes, saucepans, and books—always very geometric, with stacked forms and plays on shadow and transparency, with a shallow depth of field.
A cool place to share with anyone visiting Lyon?
Tandem for coffee, to enjoy their selection of deli products and pieces by local designers. Okara for coffee, a matcha latte, and their breakfast set menu. MADO bakery for their natural sourdough breads, vegetable focaccias, and panettone. Café Arsène or Grive for great food and their terrace in spring and summer! For a post-meal stroll, the Jardins du Rosaire beneath Fourvière—in spring, enjoy the blooming wisteria, the view is stunning and the park is lush with greenery.