Boulder Display Unit (Long) by Coucou Manou

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. 

I have always been inspired by decorative art, colour and pattern, from the Folk Art room at the American Museum near Bath to a school visit by French artist Sophie Grandval who gave us each a wonderful poster that I still treasure. From a beautifully painted harpsichord made by my Dad to the Indian mandala posters that adorned my teenage bedroom”.

Graduating in 1994 from an HND Design course (Cabinet making and Design) Nell became a self employed furniture maker, working on commissioned pieces for private clients, architects and interior designers.

In 2012 Nell launched her own collection under the name of CoucouManou at London Design Festival and showcased a collection that merged traditional furniture making skills with modern cnc technology.

Since 2012, her furniture has featured in numerous national and international publications such as Elle Décoration, Sunday Times, FThtsi, Icon, Design Milk etc.

Her designs have been stocked in Heals and Futon Company.

The Loop Cabinet was shortlisted for a Design Guild Mark and she was selected as one of the cohort for the Craft Councils Injection Scheme aswell as a member of Design Nation.

Clients include, among others, Thomal Hamel Associates, Sara Story Design, Tata family and The Ritz Pentagon.

Exhibitions and shows include PAD London, Collect Art Fair (Collect Open), London Craft Week, Decorex, 100% Design, London Design Fair & Contemporary Craft Festival.

In her most recent collection, Wonderland, Nell has reverted back to predominantly using her hands, making unique one-off pieces, almost coming full circle to when she first started out but now having the experience and freedom to make much more unusual decorative pieces. Drawing inspiration from her previous home near Bath that overlooked the wooded Limpley Stoke valley, Nell uses techniques not dissimilar to sgraffito and intaglio, normally used with clay, to carve and incise onto her favoured material Valchromat.

She replaces the CNC router used in her previous collections with a hand held carving tool.

Her hand drawn imaginary trees and plants are repeated over the panels to create a balanced, harmonious design which are then carved and painted.

Valchromat, a composite material made primarily of waste wood comes in several colours, allowing Nell to play with almost limitless colour and design possibilities.

Now based near Aix-en-Provence in France, Nell will undoubtedly absorb the indigenous nature that surrounds her to create beautiful lasting pieces of furniture and artworks.