The knives of Roland Lannier are the work of a maker who sees cutlery not as commodity, but as cultural expression. Born in Paris in 1979, Roland moved to Thiers, long regarded as Europe’s surprising capital of cutlery, early in his training and entered the workshop of Atelier Perceval in 1997. Over nearly two decades there, he worked through every station in the shop, handsawing, forming, and finishing knife parts while absorbing the precision and discipline of French blade-making from the inside out.
In 2014, Roland founded his own studio in Thiers, driven by a desire to rethink both the form and the meaning of table knives and kitchen cutlery. Where much of the traditional “Art de la Table” leaned heavily on nostalgia, Roland sought a different path rooted in the spirit of his generation and animated by punk rock, comic books, and the everyday objects that shape our lives. Rejecting materials tied to colonial history or museum reverence, he embraces synthetics, reclaimed media, and unexpected composites including vinyl records, concrete, tartan, and printed paper set in resin. His knives are unmistakably modern, yet grounded in the deep technical lineage of Thiers.
Today, Roland’s work graces the tables of some of the world’s top restaurants. His knives are chosen not only for their visual impact, but for their balance, edge performance, and the way they transform the simple act of eating into something considered. Blade shapes resist convention and invite engagement. Silhouettes provoke curiosity. Each piece is meant to cut cleanly and confidently while prompting conversation at the table.
Roland believes a knife should do more than slice; it should carry meaning, reflect its time, and reconnect us with the ritual of sharing food. His practice remains collaborative and experimental, working with a small network of specialists in Thiers to push material boundaries while maintaining uncompromising standards of construction and finish. Heritage and invention coexist naturally in his hands.
Eatingtools' founder Abe Shaw and Roland have worked together since 2015, building a relationship now spanning over a decade. Abe has visited Roland’s workshop in Thiers, seeing firsthand the care, experimentation, and discipline that define his studio. The knives we present are part of that ongoing dialogue — objects born from tradition, sharpened by modernity, and made to live fully at the table.
