This project has a lovely story behind it. We have known this family, a couple with three daughters, for over ten years, having met them at a client’s housewarming in 2007. That meeting grew into a friendship. The clients recently moved into a beautifully appointed Haussmann-style apartment in Neuilly. On an elegant second floor with generous ceiling heights, the living rooms and principal bedroom face the street, while the other bedrooms overlook the courtyard.
Our intervention was lighter than on most of our projects. There was no wholesale reconfiguration or swapping of rooms. Instead, we removed part of a load-bearing wall to open up the double reception room and improve the flow between spaces. To retain distinct sitting and dining areas, we created a targeted opening and redefined the spaces with a low unit serving as both bookcase and sideboard. We had assumed these clients would prefer a restrained approach.
What a wonderful surprise!
Colour punctuates the living spaces and bedrooms alike. Fornasetti wallpaper greets the family as they enter, complemented by a cloud-shaped pendant light. White terrazzo-effect tiles contrast with forest-green kitchen cabinetry, while an inset section of flooring echoes the apartment’s chevron parquet. Brushed brass adds warmth and softness to the kitchen through the edging of the floor inset, handles and glazed partition. A dining nook with an oak bench and bistro tables completes the space. Each room has its own colour, with saffron yellow (Terre Jaune by Argile) and greens (Terre Verte and Vert Antique by Argile) predominating. The dining room features an Ananbo bespoke wallpaper mural in the Pins et Cyprès design. A Grand Nuages pendant by Designheure hangs above a rustic farmhouse-style table. In the living room, bespoke white-lacquered MDF bookcases flank the fireplace above the apartment’s traditional panelling.
One of our finest projects of 2019!
