In Conversation
ORANGERIE PLANTS
Orangerie is a new and refreshing project started by Juanma Gonzalez, a resident of Seville who is passionated plants and his profession.
This floral cabinet is a dream come true that started to take shape during the pandemic, when Juanma felt compelled to change activities and found a lovely spot near the popular Alameda de Hércules in Sevilla. His botanic endeavors has only flourished and borne fruit since then.
The space where it is located exudes color and joy, something that catches the eyes of every single passerby, who feel curious and eager to enter this unique space, where endless experiences await.
Local plants and flowers are reign in Orangerie, but we can also find some specimens from countries such as Holland.
They also have a selection of related publications and accessories, and every now and then they even host some events in the store.
We heard that you used to travel for a living before Orangerie. Tell us about the background of this project.
Exactly, not only did I travel but I worked at Nuba, a travel agency, specialized in tailor-made trips, which allowed me to travel a lot around the world. During those trips, I was always captivated by the botanic abundance of every country. That made me have more and more plants at home while I was also looking for new species.
Plants have increasingly grown more important in my daily life and in my relationship with my friends. Every time I go visit someone I give them a cut of a plant of mine and if we happen to stay in a house in the nature, I have gone searching for wild flowers from the area to decorate the house.
Where does your love for plants come from?
Plants and flowers are very present in both public spaces and homes In Andalusia. Seville is a place with a long tradition of interest in botanics. Being the main port for the trips from America for a long time, the exchange with species from other places has been quite usual in the city. Taking a walk around the gardens of the Alcázar or the Maria Luisa Park is a journey through the plants of different places in America, Africa, Asia and, of course, Europe.
I used to enjoy my grandmother’s patio when I was a kid. Like many Andalusian grandmothers, she had her own garden and that’s where my passion for plants began. When I have traveled to other countries, I was always keen to know the local plants as part of their culture. When someone comes back from a trip, they remember the food or music of the place. I miss the plants, and that’s why I conceived Orangerie like a trip around different places.
“Orangerie is a living space where to talk, share, learn and have fun around plants.”
Orangerie is much more than a flower shop, tell us about what else happens in this lively place.
Orangerie is a living space where to talk, share, learn and have fun around plants, especially with those that are rare in Seville. At Orangerie, we want to bring in both plant lovers and people who are attracted to this world, even if they are not much into it yet.
In the coming future, we are very excited about decorating projects with plants for houses and landscaping. In Seville the same house can have very different climates, with very warm terraces or roofs, especially in summer, and cooler and humid patios. From Orangerie we are doing landscaping projects generating beautiful and original spaces that meet the requirements of the space and the care that the client is willing to give the plants.
We are also immersed in some floral projects, at installation levels, which I hope you can all enjoy.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I am lucky that my job entails working, studying and making projects with plants and flowers. Every week I get surprised by the arrival of new flowers, colors, smells. I consider myself lucky.
How is the collaboration with the boutique hotel Plácido y Grata going?
I feel privileged to collaborate with Plácido y Grata with my flowers every week. We make weekly floral designs and pick the best flowers so their guests can enjoy them during their stay. They care about details, creating beauty even in the simplest things.
What inspires you?
That one is kind of hard, but I’d say I’m really exposed to culture and somehow all that has an influence. For the floral designs for the hotel I let myself be carried away by the volumes and shapes of the flowers.
Orangerie Plants
C/ Correduria, 5
Sevilla
