Avant Gardener Profile: Toni Dahan
Photography:
Louisa Ben
Meet Toni Dahan, the Parisian jewellery designer with a love for large plant specimens and the serenity they can bring.
Join us as we talk with him about plants, their place in the home, and how one can find serenity for themselves through the rituals of care involved in keeping plants healthy.
Has someone in your family or friend passed on their Taste for plants? How did this handover go?
My paternal grandmother has a large park in Normandy where I grew up. It seems to me that this has influenced me from a very young age. Throughout my childhood, I interacted with plants.
Do you share cuttings with friends or family? Have you got rituals around that?
Unfortunately no, I'm a fan of huge plants so it is difficult to take cuttings, however, I did once bring back a monstera cutting from Madeira in my denim jacket which is now doing wonderfully.
To what extent does plant care function as a ritual in your daily life?
It is a special event on Sundays, after my daily clean, it sincerely soothes me.
Does this sense of ritual extend to your mental and physical well-being?
Absolutely. I try to do sport only in nature, whether jogging at the Buttes Chaumont or swimming in the Mediterranean sea. I need to be surrounded by nature to relax.
What is your idea of perfect happiness? What about your plants?
Living in nature and making ceramics with my plants, of course.
How do your plants influence your mood and state of spirit?
Every Spring I grow water hyacinths and they grow very quickly. When I wake up in the morning, my first thought is to go and watch them. I am always fascinated and happy to see their development.
What characteristics of your plants might apply to yourself and vice versa?
A bit invasive, like me.
What talent would you most like to have?
Patience
What have your plants taught you?
A little patience I hope. No, I would say serenity. I am a very fast moving person and they let me take a break.
Do you eat or cook any of your plants?
No, except my pot of basil but my Parisian kitchen does not allow me to make culinary miracles.
Do any of your plants have a particular use?
No, except to relax.
Which living person do you admire the most?
What words or phrases do you use most often?
Naturally.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Impulsivity.
What do you appreciate most in your friends?
Their listening.
Do you have a favourite phrase?
Our only thing in common is our difference.
We express profound gratitude to Toni for inviting us into his home, and sharing a small piece of his personal world with us.