• Avant Gardeners

    • Avant Gardener Profile: Margaux & Tristan

    PHOTOGRAPHY:
    Clara Mary Joy

    Meet Margaux and Tristan, a pair of freelance creatives residing in the northern reaches of Paris. Often working from their home, incorporating plants into their space was key for maintaining a healthy work environment. Join us as we spend some time talking to them about their space and how their relationship with plants translates into it.

    In your own words, introduce yourself and describe where you live and what you do for work.

    We are a creative couple living in the north of Paris near the Sacré-Coeur. As freelancers, our practice allows us to spend time at home and it’s important to us to have a pleasant living environment. Plants contribute a lot to this!

    Have you always liked plants? Did you grow up around plants?

    Margaux:
    Having grown up surrounded by nature, plants have always had a special place in my life. I have had a fascination with flowers since I was very young and it has often been the main subject of my drawings, which is still the case in my daily creations.
    A plant grows in a black pot in a corner of the room next to a chair. And there’s a shelf of books with some vessels as decorations - a silver-like candle holder on the table.
    Glassware, ceramic bottles, and cups on the shelf that hung on the wall next to the kitchen sink. And a potted plant with red and green leaves next to the window.
    A book was opened with a person’s hand on the floor with a page of painting - plenty of trees alongside a field of grass near a river with an outstanding coconut tree growing.
    A book was opened with a page filled with instructions on replanting the Bird of Paradise flower.
    In front of a plant, there is a stone-like decoration sitting on a wooden piece of furniture next to a pot of plants. And there is a female kid-like mask hanging on the wall.
    What is the most important lesson you have learned through the trials and tribulations of caring for plants?

    Tristan:
    Do not put coffee grounds in the plants (despite some of the baseless advice on the internet). I nearly killed a plant in just one day because it was so drugged with caffeine.
    Also, growing cuttings from plants in the wild will give you plants that are hardier and long-lasting than those you can buy in the shops.

    Margaux:
    Be patient and do not over-water as this can cause the roots to rot and the plant to die.
    The relationship between plant and home.

    How do you feel your plants fit into, complement or challenge your living space at home?

    Plants in a flat give rhythm to the space and create localised and diverse atmospheres. We base our decorations around our largest plants.

    Which plant will you buy next?

    We plan to plant as many climbing plants as possible around our windows, such as jasmine and wisteria.

    A big thank you to Margaux and Tristan for sharing with us a glance into their botanically inspired corner of the world. We hope you enjoyed learning about how plants play a key role in their space, and overall lives.
    Potted plants - fiddle-leaf fig, rubber fig and snake plant next to the wall where hung a few pieces of art. And a small lamp on a two-layer table.
    A pair of hands opened a book on the table with pictures of flowers on a dark background with paragraphs of words.
    Potted fiddle-leaf fig, rubber fig and snake plant are next to the wall white there is a wooden chair and glass table.
    An umbrella tree leaves in front of a shelf of books and some ceramic-like vessels.
    A snake plant is planted in a terracotta pot and the couple are behind the background.
    To what extent does plant care function as a ritual in your daily life? Does this sense of ritual extend to your mental and physical well-being?

    Every morning I look at the progress of our plants, whether they are doing well or have new shoots showing. At the moment the tulips are coming out and their rapid growth is fascinating! For some people watering plants is a chore, but for me it is a pleasure; it is like a meditative break.

    What talent would you most like to have?

    To have the vision of a landscape gardener and to be able to structure an outdoor space, to know how to partition and divide a garden with plant partitions to craft a path and to form diverse and localised atmospheres.

    What have your plants taught you?

    Existential reflections.

    What do you appreciate most about your friends?

    Caring, kindness, honesty, and curiosity.

    Do you have a motto?

    In work, but this can be applied to other areas: Be serious without taking yourself too seriously.
    Margaux and Tristan standing in front of a significant fiddle-leaf fig in the background.