La grange d'Uzès, decoration boutique and art gallery

The exhibition hall is also perfect for the art gallery aside the decoration boutique: works of visual artists, a harmonious and skilful blend of paintings, statues... with claimed modern touches, find the perfect place in which to flourish.

The Uzès barn? It's Christelle in the boutique and Franck at the art gallery, giving a four-handed space that we love to visit and explore, a bit like unearthed in a flea market...

LET'S VISIT

Welcome, Christelle and Franck, to the Lifestyle section of UzEssentiel,

You've just opened La grange d'Uzès. Why did you choose to set up in the ducal city? Was it perhaps the desire to refocus on a small town with a strong artistic identity?

We knew Uzès very well, having been here many times when we were living in Montpellier. Even back then we realised that the town had a great appetite for the arts.

We always said to ourselves that, if we had to move back down south, it would have to be to Uzès. The architecture is magnificent, and there's something of a quality of life in this town that remains dynamic and lively all year round.

Originally from Montpellier, you first worked in the ready-to-wear sector, then in HR, Christelle, while Franck worked in real estate.

When you set up your own decorating shop in Oullins, in the Lyon region, was it a sign that you'd chosen to move into the decorating business? Were you already combining shop and art gallery then? How did you come to combine your two passions? After all, the two activities are quite similar, aren't they?

We always shared this dream of working as a couple, without ever really believing it. In the midst of COVID and after a period of reflection, we realised that life is short, and that sometimes you have to follow your passions and dreams to the end if you don't want to have any regrets. That's why, in 2021, we decided to provoke destiny by opening our boutique and sharing our passions: decoration and contemporary art. 

Because we've long been aware that having a cosy, cocooning atmosphere in our own home contributes to our daily well-being, we wanted to reproduce this harmony in our boutique, to the delight of our customers we like to believe.

Our aim is to create a harmonious universe combining sweet smells, zen music and a mix of antique furniture, decorative objects and paintings by artists, just like at home!

The interior of La grange d'Uzès is reminiscent of a pleasant cabinet of curiosities, so varied in its offering, and always with that country spirit you were hoping for and a touch of Provence.

What in particular are you looking for, Christelle, for your boutique? Do you prefer local and... French artisans?

Above all, I'm looking for originality, and I only select quality objects that suit me, that are natural and warm in the country house spirit.

I prefer to have small quantities, so that not everyone has the same thing. That requires that I have to be constantly on the lookout for something new.

I work with several French brands, in particular for home perfumes, scented plasters, natural candles in ceramic pots or even in century-old pots.

There are also hanging lamps made from French recycled wood and thick cotton duffel bags.

As for the art gallery, your selection, Franck, is made according to your meetings, impulses...? In turn a gallery, a branch of a contemporary art museum, we note a certain predilection for the visual arts... How do you describe it?

I currently work with 11 artists selected over time. Two criteria are decisive for me and inextricably linked: I need to like the artist's style and their world, because art is above all a passion for me and, at the same time, I need to have a certain affinity with these same artists, because I like talented people and, of course, each artist is talented in their own way. Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting two artists from Uzès who I wish to see join the collective.

However, to my great regret, we are cruelly short of space... So we have to be very inventive to arrange the space in the best possible way and give each work the visibility it deserves.

What message do you hope to pass through your gallery? A certain idea of happiness in Occitania, perhaps?

Very modestly, my aim is to show that art can be accessible, even if I recognise that sometime the pieces I present can be quite pricey.

But that doesn't mean you can't look at it, talk about it and exchange ideas. It doesn't matter whether you like it or not, the aim being to listen to each other's arguments as long as they remain friendly.

You're entitled not to like it, and that's why I choose different worlds for my artists. It would be so sad if we all liked the same things.

Would you like to add a detail?

Despite a retail space of over 100m², we reach our limits pretty quickly. That's why we've developed a website to offer a wide selection of paintings by our artists, decorative objects and, in particular, furniture that we don't necessarily have in the shop but which we've selected ourselves in the spirit that we love.

As you can imagine, we want to combine our two passions and continue to work together. Meaning to combine business with pleasure. Given our location, we know that word-of-mouth will make all the difference.

We hope that our world of creativity will please as many people as possible, and we'll be delighted to welcome those who don't know us yet. We're sure they'll be surprised by the atmosphere of our country house style.

Thanks to Christelle and Franck Ulrich for their collaboration on this article.

The right address: La grange d'Uzès, 3 avenue Général Vincent, Uzès. Open Tuesday to Friday, 9.30am to 1pm and 2.30pm to 7pm, and Saturday, 9.30am to 7pm. The little extra? An online shop coming soon. Tel: 06 51 84 21 32. Follow @La grange d'Uzès on Instagram and Facebook.