La Galerie Végétale

The first time you walk past La Galerie Végétale, you find yourself staring in the window thinking "...what on earth..?". Asides from being completely intrigued about what exactly is going on in there, you are immediately captured by the surreal beauty of the space. But what is it, precisely? A florist? An interior design studio? A gallery? Well yes, actually - it is all of those things, and that is what makes it so beguiling.

Michel Lebroton and Solveig Kuffer have created an extraordinary space, something that they like to think of as a love letter to "Mother Nature". Set in an immense atelier-like room that was once a woodwork studio, La Galerie Végétale houses a florist/workshop area to one side and a gallery to the other - the influence of one lapping at the corners of the other as a dialogue between form and colour is created.

Yes, you can go in and buy a bunch of seasonal flowers (starting at around 20 euro), but do be sure to linger. The collection of artworks changes every month or so (I could not take photos of the art for copy write reasons, naturally) and the thematic of the 'florist' is then built around the art. The collection of flowers and greenery is offset by an intellectual yet aesthetically pleasing approach to lighting, space and decoration that contrasts texture with colour and form. Everything in La Galerie Végétale is honed around the notion of nature as installation art: it is a very successful homage to Mother Nature indeed.


La Galerie Végétale / 29 rue des Vinaigriers / Ph: (+33) 01.40.37.07.16 / 75010 PARIS / Metro: Gare de l'Est / Hours: 10am - 12pm, then 5pm - 7:30pm Tuesday to Thursday, 10am - 2pm and 3pm - 8pm Friday and Saturday, 10am - 2pm and 3pm - 6pm Sunday / lagalerievegetale@free.fr

Artazart design bookstore

Artazart is a design bookstore par excellence. Whether you are a design professional, a student, an enthusiast or just curious about the bright orange shopfront (or a wannabe who looks good in skinny black jeans and second-hand biker boots artfully juxtaposed with black horn-rimmed glasses), this densely-packed space promises to contain something of interest to you.

The field is wide in terms of the areas of ‘design’ covered: architecture, landscape architecture, art, art direction, graphic arts, clothing construction, advertising, publishing, typography, photography, industrial design, interior design, even eclectic guides to Japanese street fashions and Parisian street artists, it is a very easy spot to spend an hour or two happily immersed in itinerant publications devoted to design culture. There are two large rooms that are literally bursting with books, spilling out of their grubby boxes and lining the walls, beckoning intrigued hipsters and normal people alike to pick them up and pour through them.

Next door is a small space that doubles as a gallery or unruly gift store, depending on the mood, and scattered throughout both is a collection of droll little bits and pieces (such as the Moleskine City Guides, or slightly dirty fridge magnets) that make far more appealing gifts than your average Eiffel Tower tea-towel.

Come for the books, stay for the hell of it.

ARTAZART / 83, Quai de Valmy / 75010 Paris / FRANCE / +33 (0)1 40 40 24 00 / info@artazart.com / http://www.artazart.com/fr