MEET DEBEAULIEU

Hello everyone! 

To continue wrapping ourselves in beauty and delicacy, I'd like to talk to you about Pierre Banchereau. For this meeting, I've forced fate a little, as I regularly heard my beloved Lili about this genial florist.Debeaulieu". And then, during the 10-year anniversary of the Café Mode( which will remain an important date in 2015 for me), I was able to admire the sublime floral arrangements that were everywhere... I later learned that they were the work of Debeaulieu. And then, while interviewing the beautiful Fanny B. from Gemmyo, I fell in love with a flower arrangement in a breathtaking vase, again by Debeaulieu. Preparing my wedding with the super Aurélie, about whom I've told you a lot on hereshe reminds me of Pierre's work, again. In short, Debeaulieu is the name that's on everyone's lips when it comes to beauty and flowers. I finally reach Pierre and ask him if I can come and film him in his boutique in the 9th arrondissement. He agrees, and I jump for joy! 

I finally arrive at his store one morning, soaked to the skin - you know, there are mornings like that in Paris... I don't think I've ever been so intimidated by anyone in my life. I really admire her work and her ability to create, sculpt and innovate with flowers. I really get the feeling that he ignores the codes of the classic florist, composing his bouquets with his feelings. For me, Pierre is a painter, an embroiderer, a stylist, an artist with flowers as his medium of prediction. And as I left his store, after an hour's prolonged exposure of my retina to all his colors, the weather was beautiful, if that's not a sign...

Pierre has only been a florist for a short time, but I have the feeling he's always had it in him. He retrained 4 years ago, before which he worked in human resources, and then came the feeling that he'd come full circle. Pierre wanted to work for himself, to be in the real world. Since then, he's been creating bouquets that leave no one indifferent, like a universal language, the language of Beauty. He really has a singular touch that always gives rise to isolated bouquets, and he's keen to "rehabilitate" forgotten flowers that are a little too dated, and his compositions remind me of seventeenth-century still-life paintings, sublime vanitas in the vibrant colors of Flemish paintings. And that's all there is to it! 

• "Question déclic": What was the trigger that made you embark on the great and tumultuous adventure of entrepreneurship?

For me, it was obvious. Once I'd made the choice to do this job, I couldn't see myself working for someone else without being able to make my own choices of flowers, my own identity, my own way of presenting and blending our flowers, and so on. 

• "Guidance Counsellor Question: Was being a florist an obvious choice? Or did you jump into the deep end without any clear idea of how your career would turn out?

It wasn't obvious. I was interested in several professions. A career change is a big decision, especially in the middle of a crisis. I think I did things correctly, in the right order: meeting professionals, going to school in the different areas I had targeted, etc. And then, little by little, my choices were refined.

• "Question case départ": What was your post-breakup course after your old job?

I went to the Paris florist school in the 19th arrondissement, then a series of internships lasting a few months each, with 3 different florists. At the same time, I was working on my market study and business plan, while looking for a location.

• "Question Life Style": You then opened your own boutique, creating your own universe, codes and rules of the game. Between the construction site and the graphic identity, which part inspired you the most?

I loved being involved in everything. It was essential for me to reflect on everything with the professionals involved in each of the jobs. I was even more excited when we signed off on the boutique, because it was really starting to take shape, and the (good) stress was building up even more!

• "Question détail": Your boutique also features a lot of objects you've collected yourself, and you finish your bouquets with colorful vintage ribbons. Is substance just as important as form?

 Of course it is. It's essential. I'm even a pain in the ass about it!

•  "Question Sky is the limit": How do you see the future in your boutique today, between a lovely ballet of customers and the phone ringing all the time? 

Ahahah... Some might say that curiosity is an ugly flaw, but I think it's a wonderful quality! Today, DEBEAULIEU is growing fast and well, so let's give it time to enjoy and concentrate on its current business! But it's true that we have lots of ideas in mind... 

  

• "The most important question: Where do you get your inspiration?

From fashion, design, my history, my past, my friends, on vacation. I always need to feel the zeitgeist! 

•  "Question Madeleine de Proust": What is your earliest memory of flowers? 

Going to a florist at the age of 5 for Mother's Day, with a mini budget like 5€ for a bouquet, then waiting for her to give me change for it...

  

• "Peter Pan question: What job would you have liked to have done when you were a child? 

 When I was young, I would have liked to be an architect or an optician...

• "Survival question": And if you had to take just one flower with you to the moon, what would it be?

A magnolia flower.

Debeaulieu, 30 rue Henry Monnier, 75009 Paris. Having been there this morning, Pierre is currently preparing sublime Christmas wreaths, made from flowers he has dried all year long... 

Photos Lemonade Studio and Raphael gianelli meriano.

To read this post in English, click here!