ASPIREDESIGNANDHOME.COM 69 68 SUMMER 2026 Montagut has a small upstairs studio but prefers working on larger pieces at this table overlooking the garden. A poured-concrete plinth by the sliders conceals firewood below, while plants dry at right and Montagut’s workstation sits at left. An old walnut bench and basket are vintage finds that offer a moment of pause by the steps. The juxtaposition of industrial space and nature says a lot about Montagut, both past and present. Raised in Périgord, where her grandmother, an extraordinary gardener, kept a farm, she began life as a country girl profoundly connected to nature. But her career as a brand image designer for luxury companies whisked her away to Paris and into a world of extravagance and glamour. Seven years ago, Montagut and her husband happened on the warehouse in this busy urban enclave and worked with François Pin – an architect known for projects such as the Denon Wing of the Louvre and the Museum of Jewish Art and History in Paris – to convert it into a living and working space. It proved to be a timely refuge. During the isolation of the pandemic, Montagut sought solace in nature again. Inspired by antique herbariums, she began articulating a medium that combined dried plants with words. “Over time, my work shifted from arranging nature on neutral backgrounds to creating dialogues between forms, finding echoes between plants and art history,” she relates. Throughout, the renovated space has supported and nurtured Montagut’s art.