Parisian Chic

Paris, France

This little gem of an apartment is located in the heart of Paris surrounded by beautiful old buildings, trees, and a busy street. The apartment itself is in a building built 30-40 years ago and doesn’t have any of that Parisian charm that an older building would have. The building is generic and the apartment was done in all white, floors, walls, ceilings and lots of mirrors. It was a very cold apartment and could have been located anywhere in the world.

My client wanted something that felt Parisian, classic with a modern twist, inviting, and relaxed. This is a vacation home so we were able to bring in a little extra whimsy to the project. The apartment is small and so we had to use the space as thoughtfully as possible. The whole apartment is shaped like a triangle, which made for some interesting shapes and angles. We focused on a green, blue, and yellow color palette and those are the main colors throughout the space. We brought in some French touches through the toile fabric, wallpapers, some of the furniture, French paintings, old French maps, and the hardwood flooring that looks like it could have come from an old building.

This whole project was a complete gut but when my client originally bought the apartment, they didn’t think they would need to rip everything out and start over from scratch. So, much of the original budget was used for things behind the walls and so there was less money available for décor. Because of this, we were forced to use the budget more creatively. We focused on a few items that were our “highlights” and spent more on those items. Then, for others, we went with a less expensive option that could still give us what we were looking for.  We had to be very creative but in the end, everyone was thrilled with the result. Now, when you walk out of the elevator and the first thing you see is the blue and white wallpaper and the beautiful wood floors, you know you’ve stepped into a space where you want to relax and enjoy the Parisian lifestyle.