How Maiden Home Crafts Custom-Made, Built-to-Last Furniture at Attainable Prices
The brand was founded by Staci Inspektor and Nikki Reed, and from day one of their friendship the duo seemed destined to launch a business together. “We both have an innate entrepreneurial spirit, the desire to hustle hard and to problem solve,” says Inspektor.
“We knew that if we combined our two backgrounds and industry contacts in the fashion design and hospitality industries, we could start something unstoppable, fun, and slightly disruptive.”
Atelier Saucier crafts napkins (or ‘kins for short), placemats and tea towels and other linen pieces from reclaimed textiles and hard-to-find fabrics. Its products are designed to be fully customizable, with in-house designers ready to create bespoke pieces for any event.
But Atelier Saucier pieces aren’t just for the big occasion.
“Our ultimate goal is to change what the average person thinks about using table linens as part of their daily routine,” says Inspektor. “You can lay them out for a special occasion, but are equally ideal to use when you are eating pizza on the couch on a Sunday night.”
“Our ultimate goal is to change what the average person thinks about using table linens as part of their daily routine."
And it’s the in-home, everyday use that brings Atelier Saucier’s focus on sustainability into focus. “Our linens are washable, wearable, and sustainable,” explains Inspektor. “We want you to pass on a paper towel or disposable napkin and reach for your linens for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
Atelier Saucier was also founded with eco-friendly values. “We strive to implement sustainable fabric sourcing by hand-picking surplus, premium fabrics from the excess stock of the garment industry,” explains Inspektor. “We want our clients to have fun with their tabletop and add an extra element of surprise and sustainability when setting the table.”
Inspektor and Reed have also made an effort to insert eco-friendly practices into every step of Atelier Saucier’s production chain as well as its daily business operations. “Our small batch production process ensures no excess inventory or waste,” says Inspektor. “Based on the width of each fabric, we create specific cutting patterns to maximize yield and usage - our patterns tend to look like a perfectly played Tetris game, locking all of our different pattern pieces together.”
“Our small batch production process ensures no excess inventory or waste.”
“We also love repurposing scraps of fabric as ribbons, ties, and packaging for gifts,” she adds.
All of Atelier Saucier’s products are locally-produced in Los Angeles and Inspektor and Reed care deeply about how the brand can give back to the community that supports it.
“The great city of Los Angeles is not only our home, it is the community that helps support and inspire us to design and run our business,” says Inspektor. “In return, we like to give back to this deserving city, by flowing 1% of all of our top-line sales to local organizations with charitable initiatives in the health, food and wellness communities.”
One partner Atelier Saucier works closely with is Feast LA, a non-profit that provides healthy eating and nutrition education to under-resourced neighborhoods of Los Angeles.
“Through a mix of classroom-based, kitchen-focused programs and food delivery services, they [Feast LA] give individuals the tools to create healthy eating, shopping/cooking habits and prevent diet-related diseases,” explains Inspektor.
Both of Atelier Saucier’s founders love to entertain. “Bringing friends + family together to converse and connect over a meal, is a core part of my upbringing,” recalls Inspektor. “My mom has always been such a great hostess (and cook!) and has always taken great pride in how she sets her table and presents her food.”
And Atelier Saucier is the culmination of its founders' life and work experiences and their combined passion for quality and pushing the limits of tablescape and linen design. “The overall quality of our linens is something we take great pride in and is a true identifier for Atelier Saucier - we are thoughtful, functional and quality driven,” says Inspektor.
“When you combine all of the above key factors, how could you not have a fantastic dinner party,” she adds
