Hidden away in Paris are quiet, little-known byways, where apparently undistinguished facades conceal enchanting apartments. They seem to exist out of time, like an oasis of parkland amid the clamour of the city.
The creak of an old staircase, the worn exposed beams of a former studio, the uneven glass of ancient windowpanes, and weathered oak floorboards extending into the kitchen all seem to remind us of familiar places filled with happy memories.
The buildings of Paris have an inimitable allure. Their facades create the distinctive Parisian cityscape; their stone takes on a golden hue as evening falls; their tall windows are fronted by lacy balconies; their slate roofs gleam a soft gray beneath the shifting sky. The apartments that lie behind those walls – some imposing, some quite modest – reveal a distinctively Parisian way of life.
Some have retained their historic splendour, a testimony to the heritage of the stately world of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Some are filled with treasures from the past, while others are the setting for contemporary designs.
They may be showplaces for collections, furnishings, and decorative objects patiently amassed from the auction houses and galleries that abound in the city. Many designers live in neighbourhoods traditionally frequented by artists and writers, and their apartments reflect a distinctive talent and savoir faire.
Elsewhere, an unassuming doorway leads to a vast loft, a skilfully reconfigured space that conveys a taste for restraint and simplicity. Other dwellings are suffused with a sense of nostalgia, tranquil havens that recall times gone by.
Feel-good homes
The pale pastels that cover these walls and floors have an undeniable appeal – soft shades of blue, lavender, pale green, and yellows so light as to be almost indiscernible. The wallpapers – whether original or reproductions – feature floral motifs in delicate little patterns suited to the interior of a country house.
The modest furnishings blend discreetly into the subdued decor. Some articles are tributes to bygone artisanal skills –handcrafted pieces, polished on innumerable occasions, that have acquired the patina of time.
Other pieces have been passed down from generation to generation: soft sofas piled with worn cushions, lamps bedecked with prisms, armoires whose paint is worn by the passage of time. Other furnishings might hail from a château or from a cinema, making their own contribution to our dreams and flights of fancy.
Cotton, linen, muslin, and lace – fabrics play an essential role with their faded hues. Silks are often richly embroidered, and the old velvets that cover the windows and seats are exquisitely light and soft. Treasured objects, new and old, mingle together unselfconsciously, making their own statements.
Some are found at a flea market or thrift store; others are bought during travels further afield. They respond to a very real yearning for memories of happy moments from the past, diffusing a certain sense of nostalgia that pervades rooms perfumed with flowers, whatever the season.
Featured property: Near the Pont d’Alma
A few steps away from the Seine, Michelle Joubert – an interior designer who divides her time between Paris and Venice – has reimagined the conventions of a Haussmann-era building.
She colour-washed the walls in pale ochre, selected the furniture and accessories with no preconceived ideas, and took her time finding the right place for each of them.
A careful blend of genres and styles gives the living room (above - photo 1) a timeless appeal. The room’s large scale accommodates an imposing vitrine arranged to suggest a cabinet of curiosities, capacious Italian and English armchairs, a sculptor’s modelling base deployed as a coffee table, a monumental head, and a giant clam shell. In the background, the curtain in a small adjacent room can be glimpsed.
Elsewhere in the living room, facing the vitrine in a flawlessly symmetrical arrangement, the mirror’s frame and trumeau (above - photo 3) are painted a subtle off-white that elegantly complements the grey mantelpiece.
And the kitchen (above - photo 2) has been modernized from top to bottom, with matte black paint that contrasts with the gleaming tile splashback.
Get the look
Steal the Parisian style of interior designer Michelle Joubert’s apartment with these French high street buys. Prices and availability correct at time of going to press.
Sofa so good
Michelle goes for English and Italian fauteuils (armchairs) but a French one from La Redoute is just as comfy and chic. This oversized, off-white one is called Neo Chiquito and at time of going to press was 20% off online (€760.90)
www.laredoute.fr
Don’t bust the bank
Reproduction busts in plaster are a cheap alternative to original stone works, with companies such as Décorer avec Art selling a range of figures from Apollo (right, 15x55cm, €125) to Alexander the Great to Venus de Milo.
decorarconarte.com
Splashback chic
Dark splashback kitchen tiles (carrelage mural) lend urban cool to your cuisine. These Parisien Noir ones mimic métro tiles (7.5x15cm), price €20.50 per sqm.
www.parquet-carrelage.com
