The Man Who Whispers to Trees

Igor Jean is very much the local figure. Having lived in Apt for 25 years – and being only 30 – the Luberon has become his playground. It is where he has made his home. As Works Supervisor at Les Ateliers du Chêne, for the activities of La Cabane Perchée, he is the driving force behind Charlois’ most unusual constructions.

At Les Ateliers du Chêne, in Apt, Igor is rather like being at home. He spends most of his time there, dividing his days between his office upstairs, the workshop on the ground floor, and visits to clients. Igor is passionate, just like his colleagues. A trained and practising carpenter, he spent time with the Compagnons du Tour de France — a school of life as much as a school of craftsmanship. An experience from which he has extracted the very essence, enhancing it and passing it on.

A Companion

To please his parents, especially his mother, Igor completed his secondary studies and earned a scientific baccalauréat.
“For me, school was torture. I had the reputation of the one who never did things like everyone else, the one who reached the right answer by a different method. My mother always told me: you will pass your baccalauréat. And that’s exactly what I did.”

Igor imagined his future far from lecture halls.
“I climbed a ladder before I could walk. I grew up on building sites while my father was constructing our home (he built four). I have always been drawn to manual trades. My father always said: your best tools and best allies are your two hands.” More than an anecdote, it was a lesson that stayed with him and shaped his path.

A Defining Choice

Freshly graduated, Igor chose the Compagnons du Tour de France — a decision made with both heart and reason.
“My cousin’s husband was a Companion; that was enough to convince me.”

Off he went: school in Marseille, company training in Brignoles, around 180 km a day that Igor travelled without complaint during his apprenticeship.
“I discovered another world, one that truly suited me. The Compagnons is a school of life, of learning skills, but also of respect, of values, especially those linked to work.”

After Brignoles came Albertville, with the same hunger to learn, understand and build. His practical exam for the Compagnons would not be a model, as usually recommended, but a full-scale project — the construction of a porch, still standing today. A project on which he spent many evenings after classes. Once again, not like everyone else.

The Most Beautiful Job in the World

Through carpentry, through wood, Igor discovered trees. He learnt about forests, about long time-scales.
“The more you know a tree, the more you respect it. That’s a fact. As a carpenter, I can honestly say it’s the most beautiful job in the world — a noble, ancestral trade. Carpenters work with standing timber. It’s a craft that has enabled the construction of some of the world’s most beautiful buildings. It’s highly technical, demanding great expertise. You work on big structures with the precision of a watchmaker. Wood is a living material.”

When Igor speaks about trees, his voice changes; his gaze drifts far away in search of an image to illustrate his thoughts. Works Supervisor for La Cabane Perchée, which he joined in 2020 during Covid, Igor has become accustomed to observing and analysing trees capable of supporting a cabin in their branches.
“The tree is the starting point for installing a cabin. You have to find the right one — straight enough, tall enough, strong enough. Its exposure to wind, its age… Nothing can be neglected, especially when it comes to safety.”

Once everything is validated, the project can begin. But one final step remains — a very personal authorisation:
“When I’ve finished assessing the tree, I have an unchanging ritual — I ask its permission to build a cabin in its branches!”

Three Questions for Igor Jean

Igor, what is your role within Les Ateliers du Chêne?

I am Works Supervisor for La Cabane Perchée — that’s what we call what I do. I oversee projects from A to Z, from design to delivery to the client, right through to installation in the tree. I also handle the first appointments with clients to see whether the project is feasible, under what conditions, and on what budget.

How did you join the team?

(He reflects.) For two years I worked as a self-employed carpenter–roofer. Hard work. My mother, who is an educator, had heard of La Cabane Perchée because she sometimes placed young people there for internships. She told me about it. I went. I saw the lights on and walked in, as the saying goes.

It was Pierre Nègre who hired me. That day there was a meeting, I remember. We did the interview crouched down in the workshop. Two weeks later, I began the adventure. And within those two weeks, I practically worked a full month to finish a cabin on time — my first tree house.

And since then?

Since then? We have built around fifty cabins across France and around the world. We work in exceptional conditions; there is an incredible team and a true team spirit. Every morning, I am happy to come to work — even though I’m not an early riser. I love my job. I love making people’s childhood dreams come true.

We are lucky to be part of a group that makes all this possible — and we are all aware of it. We are fortunate to belong to a fast-growing group, constantly evolving, multiplying projects and ideas. Ideas that always move in the same direction, towards the same goal: to add ever more value to wood — especially oak — and through it, to honour craftsmanship, our craftsmanship.

Photography : Christophe Deschanel