SARAH PIGEONNEAU-DELORD

In all my creations, I always target plant design, in other words, the relationship between the object and nature.

Sarah is a 23 years old young creative from Montpellier, she created in 2020 her own brand, “Planter son design“, exploring relationship between design and plant.

Hey Sarah, first some questions about you, where did you grow up ? Where do you live and how is life going ? 

Hi ! I’m doing great thanks, sun is shining here!  I grew up in a small hidden village in the south of France, Bugarach, yeah the so famous mountain where we were supposed to survive in 2012 according to the Maya calendar, surrounded by beautiful nature. Nowadays, I am living in Montpellier and working in an architecture agency.  

Since when are you interested in plant design ? Can you define it ? 

I’ve always been passionate about plants and vegetation. They are always at the core of my artistics and architecturals projects, especially in my studies of applied arts and space design. 

Not a long time ago, I asked myself :” Why not combine space design and my passion for plants ?” I really jumped into the project at this moment.  

Since then, I am always thinking about ways to spotlight plants. I am designing around and for the plant. I mix different techniques such as wood, ceramic, fabric, steel, glass and concrete. 

I see that you place nature at the centre of your inspiration, how does it inspire you? How do you feel about it?

I think that I get all this inspiration from the countryside I grew up in. Nature is contributing to my well-being, it soothes me. Plants are necessary, they are part of our life and we need them to feel fulfilled, and we need to take care of them too! There is an exchange between the plants and us. In our flats, as we look after them, they purify and detoxify our air!

I feel in a symbiose, each time I adopt a new plant, my inspiration is in growing.  I see my plants as little companions in life! I would like to highlight them in my creations, like works of art, because I see them as such. A plant is a beautiful painting!

You just said that you grew up in the countryside, how does that change your relationship to creation? 

During my studies, all of my projects were designed to have as little impact as possible on the environment. Often, without realising it, I returned to organic forms, raw materials, and dialogue with nature.  Perhaps it’s a relationship to sensitivity, to observation. But I don’t know if it’s just my personality, maybe it’s too easy to reduce it to the fact that I grew up in the countryside. As far as my relationship to design is concerned by sustainability issues, I would be more inclined to choose wooden furniture rather than metal for example. I’m currently researching the construction of my first green wall and I’m interested in recycled materials and reuse. In all my creations, I always target plant design, in other words, the relationship between the object and nature.

How can we make our cities greener? Do you have any resources to share with us?

Making our cities greener is a major challenge for our society. And this is done at several levels: urban planning, landscaping, architecture, gardens, vegetable gardens, third places, design, furniture, in our streets, in our homes and at the office too! But this requires the inhabitants to be sensitive to nature, to plants, to look at them, to feel them, to take care of them. And in my opinion, this is first of all a question of education and societal awareness. 

We can all contribute to making our cities greener. For example, you can make seed bombs, and go and throw them everywhere there is a green spot. The recipe is simple: Mix clay, soil and water. Form a small ball. Make a hole in the middle to put some seeds in and close it. With flower seed, it makes our cities more beautiful and contributes to the preservation of pollinating insects.

For french speakers, I advise you to check out the work of the start-up company “Merci Raymond“, which I discovered recently. I have just ordered their book “Tous acteur de la révolution verte” ( All actor of the green revolution).

Let’s speak a bit about Montpellier, are there any art places where you can get and share your inspiration?

There are quite a few art places in the city, several museums, various exhibition halls and spaces, workshops, and third places. There is a lot of space for creation and young talent. As an example, you can exhibit in some venues without being a recognised artist. I would say that Montpellier is a city rather open to creation, but I say that from a young creative point of view. I hope to work with more designers and artists in the future. I think it’s always more enriching to mix creations, to create links between creators and exchange about projects. To illustrate my idea: there are several ceramic workshops in Montpellier. It would be great to put on the wooden shelves that I plan to make, vases and pots from different creators and join talents. 

If someone wanted to start designing plants, what advice would you give them?

If you have a great project, go for it. And as soon as you have ideas, write them down, draw them. Feed it with everything you can. 

You have also to get to know a bit about plants, but that goes without saying.

What would you define as success for you in your professional and personal life?

I think it’s important to be proud of yourself, and to be well surrounded. To be surrounded by good people, places where you feel good, and a looooooot of plants too haha! To feel at home.

If you had a superpower, what would it be?  

I would grow trees like Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film), on the pavements for example!

Many Thanks to Sarah Pigeonneau-Delord for her insights about plant design, it is always a pleasure to meet passionate and plant lovers. We wish her to grow wonderfully.  You can find her projects and experiments on her instagram page @planter_son_design.