Header: Nicolas Borel
In the heart of France’s Pic Saint Loup region, with views of vineyards and mountains, sits the Domaine UMA. A beautiful French winery, a place with deep roots, that recently got a major update where design, especially lighting, plays a starring role.
The Clausel family, who owns the estate, wanted to give new life to the property, which dates back to the 1800s. The buildings are classic, made of local stone and reminiscent of Cévennes architecture. It was even a silkworm farm at one point. To handle the redesign, they turned to a family member, architect Florence Clausel Borel, who has worked for big-name firms like OMA and Jean Nouvel. The team had to update the space, which had seen some tough decades, while respecting its long history.
Stone, steel, and wood
The new design doesn’t hide the old, but it doesn’t shy away from the latest, either. The original limestone walls are now side by side with modern materials. In the cellar, you’ll find large concrete and stainless steel vats, a warm wood-clad ceiling, and glass terraces that overlook the winemaking action. The space is full of interesting curves and round shapes, a counterpoint to the straight, solid stone. It’s a backdrop that mixes rough, natural textures with smooth, industrial ones.
Lighting as theatre
This is where the design truly comes alive. The family brought in the lighting experts from Concepto, led by Margot Jacob and Sara Castagné. Their whole idea was to treat the winery like a “theatre set,” using light to highlight the building’s main perspective.
Instead of just flooding the space with light, they got specific. Thin, linear fixtures are placed to send light grazing across the rough stone walls of the mezzanine and the smooth concrete wine vats on the ground floor. This technique makes the materials’ textures really pop.
Elsewhere, projectors are aimed carefully at the wooden ceiling frames and the big, shiny wine vats, making them look like pieces of art in a gallery. One of the most special features is the installation of warm, suspended light tubes. It guides visitors on a path from the bar area toward the laboratory where the wine was first created.
Space that changes colour
The cleverest part of the lighting design is that it’s not static; it changes depending on the time of day and how the space is being used. When Domaine UMA is open to visitors for tours and tastings, the entire room is washed in a deep purple light, directly referencing the wine’s colour and making the stainless-steel vats shimmer. It creates a truly special atmosphere.
But when the winemaking team needs to get work done, the lighting switches over. A second “scenario” bathes the space in a functional, amber-colored light, making it a practical workshop. This ability to change the mood entirely is what makes the design so successful. The whole project, which so beautifully showcases the architecture, won a LIT award for its interior lighting. It’s a great example of how light can be used to tell a story, making a space both a working cellar and a destination.
Project info
Lighting Design/Product: Company Concepto
Lead Designers: Margot Jacob
Architecture Company: Florence Clausel Borel
Client: Emmanuel Clausel
Photo Credits: Nicolas Borel
Completion Date: July 2023
Project Location: 34270 Valflaunès, France
