09. La Petite Boutique des horreurs

Jennifer Hettich grew up on the island of Oléron. Her initial training was in food microbiology and she worked in production and management in the agrifood industry for several years. She gradually moved away from the sector, at odds with an intensive production model that no longer corresponded to her human and environmental values. At the same time, she had always had a keen interest in design and living spaces. Long before she started working in the landscape, she spent a lot of time rethinking interiors, observing circulation patterns, working with what was already there, moving furniture around and composing atmospheres. This approach still informs her way of creating a garden, which she imagines as another room in the house, designed from the inside out, from the windows, views and everyday uses. Self-taught in drawing and design, she is always learning: exchanges with nurserymen and colleagues, visits to gardens, readings, trade shows, plant festivals and inspirations from a variety of worlds. She nurtures her practice through curiosity, observation and experimentation. She joined Rivollier Paysage officially in 2022 and is involved in all aspects of their projects: conception, design, spatial considerations, atmospheres, choice of plants, costing and site supervision. She also works in the field, alongside Mathieu. Rivollier Paysage works as a team of two, where design and implementation are developed together, with the idea that projects, like gardens, are alive and evolving.

A native of the Lyon region, Matthieu Rivollier developed his skills through experience, observation and practice. With little interest in conventional schooling, he had always felt a pressing need to be outdoors, to move and to understand the world through his body as much as through his mind. Sport had long been an important part of his life – tennis, running and cycling – nurturing a physical relationship with time, effort and endurance in him. He worked as a nursery assistant in the early childhood sector for over ten years, a profession that left him with a great capacity for adaptation, a keen sense of consideration for others and an acute awareness of what it means to provide support without coercion. But little by little, the need to find a job outdoors, more in touch with nature and the seasons, became central. In 2016, he trained in landscape design in Écully. There, he discovered a profession that combined everything he was looking for: outdoor work, technique, plant life, patience and observation. He founded Rivollier Paysage in Lyon in 2019, before moving to Niort a year and a half later. His practice is based on a very concrete approach to the terrain: understanding the soils, choosing the right plants, paying attention to plant recovery and sustainability of the landscaping. He is the team's technical anchor, ensuring that each project remains feasible, coherent and respectful of living things. He defines himself as a practitioner and lifelong learner, driven by high standards and great humility in the face of the sites he works on.

Perrine Gousseau was born and raised in Niort in the Poitevin Marsh, an area that shaped her relationship with the landscape, the seasons and simple things. She trained in the field of graphic decoration, earning a Certificate of Professional Competence (CAP) in graphic design and decoration, followed by an Arts and Crafts Certificate (BMA), before moving into decorative painting and trompe-l’oeil. She worked as a projectionist in a small local cinema for several years, at a time when reels and digital projection still coexisted. This experience left her with a rigorous approach, attention to technical detail and an eye for images, moods and visual narratives. She then worked as a decorative painter for a specialised company, creating decorations and painted features for various locations. She is currently going through a period of professional transition, which she is taking advantage of in order to become fully involved in the Chaumont-sur-Loire project. It was she who came up with the idea for the link with the film The Little Shop of Horrors. Her cinematic culture, sensitive eye and highly intuitive approach to images influenced the garden's design right from the start. Her presence on the team brings an outsider's perspective that is simple, precise and deeply human.