Philippe De Brabander: The Art of Reconciling Theoretical Mechanics and Cabinetmaking

As far back as he can remember, Philippe De Brabander (Class of 2013, Engineering Sciences) has had two passions: science and woodworking. He has just established his cabinetmaking workshop, where he can put his advanced scientific expertise at the service of his artisanal creativity—a tailor-made hybrid activity.

"In high school, my way of combining my two passions was to build musical instruments. I found the underlying physics very interesting to study," he recalls.

A strong student, he completed his preparatory classes in Clermont-Ferrand before being admitted to ENS Paris-Saclay in 2013. The programme enabled him to explore his interest in the fundamental sciences in depth through the Master's in Modelling and Simulation in Mechanics of Structures and Coupled Systems (MS2SC).

"This programme was the best academic year of my life," Philippe says.

He specialised in vibration mechanics and numerical methods.

"In classical mechanics, you spend a lot of time studying, for example, the statics of a bridge. Vibration mechanics adds the time dimension, which brings a level of complexity that I really enjoy, with a very strong connection to acoustics and lutherie."

A Hybrid Path of Excellence

The master's programme proved to be a real turning point, bringing him to a highly demanding level of mathematical modelling while never losing sight of practical applications.

"We were finally reaching a scientific level that made it possible to connect with reality—to do science with industrial impact. ENS Paris-Saclay has this strength of pushing students in a very specific direction that is less present in other leading engineering schools," he explains.

In 2016, Philippe obtained the French teaching qualification (agrégation) in mechanics at the same time as his vocational certificate (CAP) in carpentry—a symbolic achievement. He then continued with a PhD in applied mechanics and numerical methods.

"In the second year of my PhD, being able to build a mental picture of a problem and mentally move around inside it was an incredible experience," he says enthusiastically.

By contrast, the final year of his doctorate, spent during the COVID lockdown, was "long and difficult," before defending his thesis remotely in 2021.

The Call of Wood

Although he appreciated the theoretical dimension of research, the ENS graduate still found aspects of it "detached from reality" that left him unsatisfied. Paradoxically, he was also reluctant to move into industry for fear of drifting too far away from theory. What should he do? Take a break.

"After my PhD, I felt a vital need to work with wood again and reconnect more closely with reality."

Philippe therefore decided to rent a woodworking workshop for a few months.

"In the end, those few months turned into five years. At first, I kept telling myself that cabinetmaking would only be temporary and that I would return to science, but I realised I no longer wanted to go back to a conventional engineering job. So, in 2024, I decided to integrate science directly into cabinetmaking by creating the DeBrab workshop."

Between Art and Digital Science: Marquetry 2.0

Bridging craftsmanship and science, Philippe has invented a form of marquetry 2.0. Called Geoveneer—"geo" referring to geometry or geodesics, and "veneer" referring to wood veneer—it is an innovative technique that draws on the numerical modelling skills he acquired during his PhD. It consists of applying wood veneer to highly curved and geometrically complex surfaces, which also gives them remarkable beauty.

"One of my ultimate goals would be to create art by combining craftsmanship and science," says Philippe, who draws inspiration from the Dutch artist Joris Laarman.

While Laarman sells works of art, Philippe's business model is still in an exploratory phase.

"Initially, the idea was to offer an online service, but cabinetmakers are not yet ready to pay for it, and large companies are still waiting for proof because the technology is too recent."

The most promising business model would be for his workshop to manufacture furniture itself using this technology, or to offer specialised digital wood engineering expertise as a consulting design office.

Bringing Together Excellence and Innovation Across Two Sectors

Philippe De Brabander has forged a unique career path, successfully building bridges between professional cultures that are worlds apart.

"Among professional cabinetmakers, my CAP carries real value, whereas my ENS degree means absolutely nothing to them," he says with a smile.

In craftsmanship, innovation is judged immediately.

"It is assessed through the result, in the short term and in a measurable way, far removed from the intellectual process of research," he observes.

A cabinetmaker may not know how to apply the Pythagorean theorem, but they know how to design highly complex furniture.

"The dialogue between these two worlds is fascinating!"

For the time being, in his large farmhouse converted into a workshop—shared by designers, cabinetmakers, artists and industrial partners—Philippe De Brabander is developing predictive tools for his own use and for that of fellow professionals.

"I designed a small online program: you take a photograph of standing timber, and an AI model coupled with finite element analysis predicts how the wood will deform. This allows us, for example, to anticipate the material's behaviour and prevent a table from cracking," he explains.

Geoveneer has also attracted interest from the academic world. Philippe is currently developing a collaboration with the École Boulle.

"Its vision of excellence is very different from that of ENS Paris-Saclay. Bringing those two visions closer together is fascinating," he says.

He also regularly recruits apprentices and interns. He maintains ties with the Paris-Saclay Mechanics Laboratory (LMPS), notably through a master's project, while another project with the Master's in Wood Science at the University of Montpellier is under consideration.

The story of Philippe De Brabander demonstrates that ENS Paris-Saclay is a springboard to endless possibilities, inspiring younger generations to imagine their future without limits.

"Keeping an open mind is the key to true innovation," he concludes.