ASPIREDESIGNANDHOME.COM 71 70 SUMMER 2026 Plant sources for Montagut’s art also vary widely. “If I’m working from a reproduction of a drawing by Auguste Rodin,” for instance, “the plant might come from the museum garden. I pick wildflowers growing in Montreuil or on the sidewalks of Paris. I gather them while traveling or walking, and from the Dordogne, where I was born and raised.” Absolutely all of it – personal history, art, home, life – Montagut considers as one holistic pursuit. “This is a home where art is not a separate activity; it is life itself, inseparable, immersive and inspiring.” A lively, colorful painting by French artist Paul Coupille hangs amid a collection of houseplants next to the main living space. The board-formed concrete shell of the space is both textural and decorative, and a contrast to a custom kitchen. The table is cobbled from vintage sawhorses and plank. A 19th-century walnut chest supports various objects from flea markets and Parisian galleries. Behind them are two lithographs by Dutch artist Bram van Velde. Kai Kristiansen chairs surround a handcrafted table by Arnold de Vinck. “The light in this house dances throughout the day,” describes the artist. “Rather than thinking only in terms of function, we focused on creating ‘corners’ for different moments – quiet nooks for reflection, spaces for work, areas for gathering. Each corner invites attention, calm and inspiration.” In both home and art, Montagut evokes a sense of memory and time. Not surprisingly, she is an inveterate forager of flea markets and other purveyors of the past’s artifacts. “I discovered my love for antiques at 13,” she says. “My first find – a set of ironstone plates – sparked a lifelong obsession. I have two ironstone plates left out of the six I bought. The others broke over time. I hardly dare use the last two anymore. What moves me is both beauty and story. These objects have a presence that comforts and inspires daily life.” The eclectic décor blends custom items such as a handcrafted dining table by Arnold de Vinck with a pendant from IKEA and higher-end pieces (the living room’s Maison de Vacances sofa and pillows and old plaster casts from Atelier Lorenzi in Paris). But the same sorts of haunts where she unearths vintage finds – dining chairs by Kai Kristiansen, a library ladder and an old wicker fish trap in the living room – are treasure troves for art materials too. “I assemble frame backs, book covers, engravings, photographs, reproductions of paintings, Polaroids, posters, cardboard, parchment and old papers,” she explains. “I choose them for their visual and aesthetic qualities.” Her selections span the art of classical antiquity, the Middle Ages, Renaissance painting and sculpture, art from the 17th through 20th centuries and Japanese wabi-sabi.