With its chic boutiques, gorgeous museums, gourmet eats and architectural charm, Saint-Germain-des-Prés has that certain je ne sais quoi you can only get from being in the heart of Paris. The alluring arrondissement’s penchant for all things art, culture and bustling city life is aptly reflected in the complete refurbishment and interior design of one of its heritage, light-filled apartments.
In taking on the project, architect and designer Rodolphe Parente was given free reign from the home’s occupant – an art collector sharing his time between France and Switzerland. “We had the chance to understand each other very quickly and I had his full confidence,” says Parente. Approaching the 180 square-metres with the free spirit, ingenuity and sensitivity for craftmanship for which he has become known, Parente sought to reflect the rich cultural life of the apartment’s owner and surrounds, creating spaces that seamlessly blend the contemporary and cosmopolitan with its more traditional features. Perhaps most importantly of all, he wanted to honour the art.
Parente sourced the new art and design pieces for the home in collaboration with Aster Design. “The most challenging part was to add new pieces of contemporary and decorative art to the existing collection of Modern art pieces,” says Parente. “We mixed and matched ancient and contemporary art and decorative art.”
This coherent mish-mash of styles and eras is expertly exemplified in the living room, where Pia Camil’s uber-contemporary sculpture Vicky’s Blue Jeans Body Pillow is paired with 17th century oil paintings of the owner’s ancestors and a pair of circa1950s Oscar Torlasco floor lamps. A Perspex armchair by Boris Tabacoff finishes off the fun, eclectic yet still completely chic look.
/ We wanted to establish a dialogue…to cross the periods and style while keeping the same energy. / RODOLPHE PARENTE.
On the bedroom mantlepiece, the owner’s Picasso ceramic plates find the perfect home alongside a brass lamp by the Los Angeles-based designer Brendan Ravenhill and a bold Polymorphous sculpture by the French artist duo Les Simonnet.
Parente and his team worked to keep the Parisian spirit and atmosphere of the home. Colour palette was paramount. “In Paris, the lights have a peculiar tone throughout the day,” says Parente. “This is what I like to call ‘false colours’ or ‘in-between shades’. I like to think this gives the idea of continuous transformation.” The idea helped Parente narrow down the colour of the apartment’s walls, ceilings and traditional trims – a hero of a hue that shifts and transforms from morning to afternoon to evening, from a powdery rose to a deep tobacco. Paired with traditional parquetry flooring, it’s a beautiful base from which the art and furnishings can converse with one another. “We wanted to establish a dialogue, ”says Parente.“ I wanted to cross the periods and style while keeping the same energy.”
We see these conversations play out in the dining space, where an elegant gold triptych by French artist Laurent Grasso talks effortlessly to a marble table designed by Parente and nubuck leather chairs by Italian designer Willy Rizzo. The dialogue masterfully interrupted by Allpa Qucha, a striking royal blue vase filled with foliage by the French designer Jean-Baptiste Fastrez.
Art and furnishings chat again in the hallway, where an untitled silver print on satin by Swiss artist Walter Pfeiffer is paired with a fantastic chrome-plated resin bench by rising star Lea Mestres.
Parente’s refurbishment has stayed true to the apartment’s handsome heritage roots, at the same time bringing it into the here and now. Best of all, it’s a beautiful example of how art from different periods and styles can play together, creating a luxury home brimming with light and life.
Above: On the fireplace mantel is a charcoal work by Lee Bae and Blue Jean sculpture by Pia Camil. The works on the wall are 17th century oil paintings of the owner’s ancestors. The perspex armchair is by Boris Tabacoff and 50s floorlamps are by Oscar Torlasco. Photos: Philippe Garcia. Courtesy: Rodolphe Parente Architecture Design.
