British designer-maker Nell Bealle studied furniture design at Shrewsbury College of Arts & Technology in the west midlands of England in the early 1990s, and then moved south to work for a woodturning company in Somerset. In 1998, she moved to Brighton and opened a studio under the name of Nell Beale Furniture & Design, which allowed her to produce her own designs on commission for architects and private clients. As her career approached the 20-year mark, in 2012, she found a studio space near Bath and launched her current endeavor, Coucou Manou.
Named for a French way of saying “hello,” combined with the nickname of her daughter, Coucou Manou is dedicated to finely crafted, vibrantly hued cabinets, storage pieces, tables, and smaller objects in wood, all designed by Bealle. The aesthetic strikes a unique balance between simplicity and boldness; tradition and playfulness. Created at the intersection of modern manufacturing and traditional cabinetmaking, every Coucou Manou piece is hand-painted with eco-friendly paints, finished with eco-oils and waxes, and assembled by hand. Bealle invites customers to commission her pieces in custom colors and sizes.
