A FOUNTAIN OF FLOWERS

Initiated by Atelier dada as a proposal extending far beyond a simple technical consultation, La Fontaine aux Fleurs imagined a complete transformation of an existing flower hall into an innovative floral concept store.

Originally, the client sought advice on plant growth lighting. Yet, upon discovering the space, Atelier dada perceived a much broader potential: a place overflowing with life but lacking coherence, rhythm, and spatial intention. From this intuition emerged a vision for a hybrid space, where a contemporary flower shop would naturally integrate a refined tea lounge, inviting visitors to slow down, taste flower-infused teas and pastries, and experience plants as a living, sensory presence.

The concept was driven by a strong spatial narrative: not an interior filled with flowers, but an interior shaped by flowers and plants themselves. Vegetation became structure, filter, canopy, and scenography. By day, plants formed a natural sun-shading system; by night, they shaped a poetic and intimate atmosphere. Light, both natural and artificial, was conceived as a complementary and expressive medium, revealing textures, guiding movement, and enhancing perception without ever overpowering the living elements.

Developed up to an advanced design stage, the project explored themes of spatial attraction, identity, sustainability, reuse, and sensory experience. It proposed a new way of inhabiting a commercial space, where shopping becomes an experience rather than a transaction, and where light architecture supports emotion, calm, and renewal.

Although never realized, La Fontaine aux Fleurs remains a meaningful exploration for Atelier dada: a manifesto project that reflects an early commitment to light as experience, to perception-driven design, and to the quiet power of spaces shaped around the living.