French Beet Farmer Jules Brisson Cultivates Sweet Success

In the heart of Paris, architect and designer Jules Brisson has reimagined the headquarters of Le Betteravier français, the trade magazine for the sugar beet industry since 1952. The magazine's editors felt disconnected from the beet fields they were writing about. Taking on the challenge, Jules Brisson proposed a renovation that pays homage to sugar beet in a creative way: floorboards in three different colours resembling open fields, textured wall coverings inspired by rural landscapes, mirrors and openings with organic shapes, partition walls curved like the horizon, pine trestle tables resembling workbenches, and a tea corner made of sheet metal and armoured glass reminiscent of farm outbuildings.

Designed with the editorial team in mind, this custom-made space departs from the typical neutrality of offices, instead drawing inspiration from the unique history of beet farming. A raw concrete structure has been utilized to incorporate a variety of materials, colours, and textures. The renovation caters to the new work practices of the editors, featuring open-space offices and areas for formal and informal meetings. Jules Brisson has taken it a step further, creating continuous floor-through spaces that evoke fields, connecting spaces with “clouds” and lake-like mirrors, and using curved partitions and door handles that feel as solid as a farmer’s handshake. This is truly a return to the land for the editors.