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Houzz Tour: Greece and Sweden Meet in a Revived Parisian Flat
Pastels, a holiday feel and a Houzz-inspired bookcase bring a breath of fresh air to this city centre apartment
Situated on the fourth storey of an old building in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, France, this 110 sq m flat, which looks out onto both the street and a courtyard, was completely renovated about five years ago and its new owners weren’t keen on throwing themselves into a big renovation project.
Nonetheless, facing their thirties, they felt the desire to put down roots and invest in beautiful furniture and more mature decor, as they told interior designer Ingrid Cuny. The owners loved Ingrid’s visual and artistic sensibilities after seeing an article about one of her properties on Houzz, and contacted her in April 2020 to transform this large flat into the home of their dreams.
Nonetheless, facing their thirties, they felt the desire to put down roots and invest in beautiful furniture and more mature decor, as they told interior designer Ingrid Cuny. The owners loved Ingrid’s visual and artistic sensibilities after seeing an article about one of her properties on Houzz, and contacted her in April 2020 to transform this large flat into the home of their dreams.
This property was built before Baron Haussmann’s mid-19th century housing reforms in Paris, and its layout has barely changed since. The previous owner had nonetheless done important decoration work with the help of an architect, and had knocked through a little hallway from the entrance to the kitchen, where a cupboard had been (see previous photo).
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The latest renovation took place in April 2020, during the first lockdown. How did this influence the design? The owners and interior designer agreed to bring in a touch of another era, going for, Ingrid says, “an atmosphere somewhere between Greek seaside, Scandinavian touches and a desire to feel as if you’re on holiday when at home”.
The project was supposed to be limited to “putting in some colour and coming up with furniture”. However, informed by Ingrid’s advice and the owners’ developing wishes, over the course of the planning phase, this limited brief turned into a fairly significant complete renovation.
The project was supposed to be limited to “putting in some colour and coming up with furniture”. However, informed by Ingrid’s advice and the owners’ developing wishes, over the course of the planning phase, this limited brief turned into a fairly significant complete renovation.
Originally, apart from the joinery in exotic red-brown woods, a green Prussian wood-burning stove, and gilded brass, this flat wasn’t exactly a riot of colour. The new owners, however, said they wanted a world of bold shades, which Ingrid sums up as “a meeting between Greece and Sweden”.
“It’s essential to use a strong through line as a reference point from the beginning of the project. I then interpret it through moodboards to create coherence,” she says.
“It’s essential to use a strong through line as a reference point from the beginning of the project. I then interpret it through moodboards to create coherence,” she says.
This green was the obvious choice for the entrance, since the ceiling has a pale, sky-blue tint. “A bold entrance is more welcoming; it bathes us in the atmosphere right from the start,” Ingrid says. Sunny upholstery, a blue-and-white striped cushion and a porthole mirror bring in a holiday feel.
Very involved in the renovation of her flat, the owner did her research and this bookcase – a hallmark of designer Charlotte Fequet – grabbed her attention on Houzz.
Lighting was another topic close to her heart. On her first visit, she loved the tiny brass spotlights placed here and there in this and the living room ceiling. Since they’d been made to measure for the previous owner, she had to look hard to find the manufacturer, Feerick, and ask them to recreate these museum-inspired fixtures.
Lighting was another topic close to her heart. On her first visit, she loved the tiny brass spotlights placed here and there in this and the living room ceiling. Since they’d been made to measure for the previous owner, she had to look hard to find the manufacturer, Feerick, and ask them to recreate these museum-inspired fixtures.
Ingrid chose a teak table for its comfortable dimensions and clean lines, characteristic of midcentury Scandinavian design. Topping off the decor are two Thonet chairs in beech and Viennese wickerwork by Sebastian Herkner, matched with two velour Gubi armchairs, which already belonged to the owner. The soft tan tone of the accent wall highlights the library – the jewel of the home.
Ingrid was inspired by the sails of a ship when designing the bookcase, which was then made to order by a joiner. “The sideboard and shelves are in oak laminate,” she says. “The brass tubes are secured with long rods threaded through the interior. It was affixed to the wall, but it can be taken down if [the couple] move home at some point.”
In the living room, Ingrid brought together “a pure white base and a duo of green and yellow to recall Greece, while the little woven armchair brings us back to Sweden”. The furniture was carefully selected to give the impression of a family home decorated over time.
The door at the back leads to the main bedroom. These doors, with their raw aesthetic, date to the previous renovation. Since they already had a holiday feel, they were carefully preserved.
The door at the back leads to the main bedroom. These doors, with their raw aesthetic, date to the previous renovation. Since they already had a holiday feel, they were carefully preserved.
A painting by Ludovic Philippon from the Amélie Maison D’Art Gallery sits on the mantelpiece, next to a lamp with rounded lines.
“Lighting changes everything,” Ingrid says. “I like to put [lamps] in every corner at plant height. This determines the ambiance and is what makes you feel good at night.”
“Lighting changes everything,” Ingrid says. “I like to put [lamps] in every corner at plant height. This determines the ambiance and is what makes you feel good at night.”
Every bit as important, for Ingrid, are beautiful curtains. “They’re essential for the feeling of softness and wellbeing in a room. Like all of the beautiful finishes, they add to the luxury of the space,” she says. She suggested this striped fabric from Pierre Frey to dress the large windows in a geometric spirit.
“This was a nice piece, but it was massive and cold; it didn’t fit well into the light, holiday world my clients wanted,” Ingrid says.
She replaced it with two pieces of furniture: the larger unit conceals the TV, which rises out of its box on a motorised arm; the smaller cupboard to the left hides the tech. She installed Devialet speakers in the corner of the room to create perfect surround sound for film nights at home.
She replaced it with two pieces of furniture: the larger unit conceals the TV, which rises out of its box on a motorised arm; the smaller cupboard to the left hides the tech. She installed Devialet speakers in the corner of the room to create perfect surround sound for film nights at home.
Ingrid got rid of the dark wood in order to bring in light and a sense of airiness. As the owners liked the existing layout, only the cupboard fronts were changed for lacquered white, dressed up with brass pulls.
Ingrid proposed putting in a divider behind the TV stand to artfully cordon off the kitchen. The joiner made it based on her design in openwork metal painted off-white.
Ingrid proposed putting in a divider behind the TV stand to artfully cordon off the kitchen. The joiner made it based on her design in openwork metal painted off-white.
Hiding the pipe was a fun challenge. “I love constraints – they push me to find creative solutions,” Ingrid says. “Even when I was little, when I drew and had to erase parts, I loved integrating this in my creations.” She asked Damien Pirès, ornamental plasterer at Stuc & Deco, to create the arches over the bench corner to disguise the pipe.
A corner banquette upholstered in red velvet replaces the hard marble bench. Ingrid dressed the wall behind it in a unique material, made of banana and mulberry tree fibres, in a golden print.
A corner banquette upholstered in red velvet replaces the hard marble bench. Ingrid dressed the wall behind it in a unique material, made of banana and mulberry tree fibres, in a golden print.
To create a sense of lightness and “find the spirit of holidays in Greece”, the oak units were replaced with white wall cupboards. The owners really liked the rosy terracotta tiles in the splashback, so they were simply refreshed with pale grey grout in place of the original black.
Ingrid preserved this piece of bespoke joinery in the smallest room. Only the supplementary shelves on the window side were removed, because they got in the way of the curtains. As the decorative wood block that integrated the door into the unit was also removed, she had to add a door for privacy.
The new space was designed in such a way that it could accommodate a child. The very soft composition was built around a nude rose colour.
The owners already owned this daybed. Ingrid selected other beautiful objects that exude softness, such as this terrazzo end table and the delicate Murano glass lamp.
When Ingrid entered the future main bedroom, she immediately imagined it done up as a hotel suite. The hushed ambience emanates from a couple of greens on the walls, a garnet-coloured headboard and wool curtains.
She used a trick to make them fall perfectly. “We used bespoke curved rods so light wouldn’t seep in through the sides,” she says. “The curtains are 25cm away from the wall, because the radiator prevents placing them closer to the window.”
Ingrid succeeded in creating a very geometric composition by calculating the height of the lines to minute detail and positioning diabolo sconces perfectly to flood the whole with light.
She used a trick to make them fall perfectly. “We used bespoke curved rods so light wouldn’t seep in through the sides,” she says. “The curtains are 25cm away from the wall, because the radiator prevents placing them closer to the window.”
Ingrid succeeded in creating a very geometric composition by calculating the height of the lines to minute detail and positioning diabolo sconces perfectly to flood the whole with light.
Ingrid removed it in order to create a useful and decorative space and allow the room to breathe. “This recess, decorated with black and white wallpaper, gives a dynamic feel to the bedroom,” she says. “On the practical side, it now fits a bench for undressing, as well as a full-length mirror, which had been missing before.”
The spirit of Greece hovers over the new decor, with walls painted white and a smart arch created by the ornamental plasterer. Ingrid retained the distressed mirror, slate flooring and orange tiles, now showcased by the white walls.
The design phase involved three intense months of work for Ingrid to source the furniture and finishes. She “made it a religion to never propose anything that she hadn’t seen herself”.
On the other hand, under her management, the works only lasted two months, earning her the affectionate nickname “the rocket” from her clients. Enchanted by the final product, they even recommended her to some close friends.
Detailed Budget
Fabrics – custom made (curtains, seats and headboard): €14,300 (approx £12,300), including fabrics and mounts
Lighting and installation: €22,000 (approx £18,800)
Custom joinery: €12,700 (approx £10,900)
Various furniture and accessories: €17,000 (approx £14,500)
Renovation work: (painting, plastering, masonry, electricity, plumbing, floor sanding and varnishing): €39,000 (approx £33,300)
Total: €105,000 (approx £90,000)
The design phase involved three intense months of work for Ingrid to source the furniture and finishes. She “made it a religion to never propose anything that she hadn’t seen herself”.
On the other hand, under her management, the works only lasted two months, earning her the affectionate nickname “the rocket” from her clients. Enchanted by the final product, they even recommended her to some close friends.
Detailed Budget
Fabrics – custom made (curtains, seats and headboard): €14,300 (approx £12,300), including fabrics and mounts
Lighting and installation: €22,000 (approx £18,800)
Custom joinery: €12,700 (approx £10,900)
Various furniture and accessories: €17,000 (approx £14,500)
Renovation work: (painting, plastering, masonry, electricity, plumbing, floor sanding and varnishing): €39,000 (approx £33,300)
Total: €105,000 (approx £90,000)
Who lives here? A couple in their thirties
Location Le Marais, Paris, France
Project completed September 2020
Duration of works Two months
Size 110 sq m
Interior designer Ingrid Cuny
Ornamental plasterer Damien Pirès of Stuc&Deco Traditional Plasterwork
Upholsterer Sonia Thibaud of La Cartisane Atelier
Budget €105,000 (around £90,000); scroll to the end for a detailed budget
Photos from Ingrid Cuny Studio