The stereotypical Parisian lifestyle is historically associated with the pursuit of the best. The extravagant settings, sophisticated immersion, and penchant for beautiful things might be what comes to mind, but one rarely comes across a project that sums it all up so perfectly. French design firm Le Berre Vevaud, composed of Raphaël Le Berre and Thomas Vevaud, designed a family home that exemplifies the image of Parisian luxury in a private hotel in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. “We wanted to create a home that fascinates their daily lives,” the couple says of the space, a three-story townhouse owned by a married couple who brings together artwork and their two children, “that blends the art of living with comfort.”
Sure, the art of living is at the core of this project, but before decorating, the designers were tasked with transforming the historic townhouse into a functional home. “We were amazed by the sheer volumes of the original architecture and the sheer amount of light,” they say of their first collective impression of the property, which needed to be “extensively redesigned.” Beginning with the first-floor living area, dining room, and kitchen, “we designed an open plan to maximize the natural lighting inherent in the original architecture,” they add. Several clever interventions were used to divide the volumes while maintaining an intuitive flow within their original decadent character. “We decided to build a mezzanine to break the six-meter ceiling,” the couple explains. This decision includes a raised platform overlooking the dining room, which has been turned into an office.
This desk chair features a charming view of the olive tree.
The charming outdoor area is a pocket of greenery.
While the mezzanine allowed them to cleverly take advantage of verticality (and elevate the residents’ eye line to the level of elaborate crown moldings), opening up adjacent walls also meant they could create a larger room laterally, and views between the two large public spaces. From the living room, you can look into the dining area, where a cloudy gold leaf canvas by Anne Féat Gaiss now hangs. Directly below, designers set a black round-legged dresser from Olbia, while small chairs from Sophie S’Assoit for Maison Dada surround a custom marble table, below a vintage eight-armed chandelier from the 1950s.
Looking the other way in the living room, Martin Berger’s wall artwork, black wood carvings by Charles Kalbakian, Ignazio Gardella armchairs, and a bronze dormer coffee table by Yann Dessauvage are welcomed. Finally, a carved screen of cut polished oak veneer was added to enforce a barrier between the seating area and entrance elevator, leading to street level one floor below. “Our designs draw inspiration from a mix of materials and textures,” the couple says of their design references. “From the Art Deco period to the bold colors, shapes, and shapes of the Memphis movement.”
A wide sunroof helps accentuate the circular Jacuzzi in the home’s spa area.
Le Berry Vivo’s architectural ingenuity may have transformed the stately country house into a family residence, but it is their ability to interpret the couple’s extensive artistic collection in a homely setting that truly distinguishes their work. For example, in the entryway, they casually hung a 17th-century picture by Hansen Rush above a Blaise bronze console they designed themselves. In a bedroom, an image of Sophie Calle—not far from de Gournay’s ornate rose-and-gold screen by design duo David/Nicolas and a custom-made bed—is displayed in such a modest way that it can easily be understood as a family shot. The home not only serves as a backdrop to the pair’s extensive art collection—which spans across “many styles . . from modern and contemporary sculptures, photographs, and paintings . . . to classic paintings”—it also includes a 1,000-square-foot spa.
It’s here where Le Berre and Vevaud, who have reallocated part of their ground floor patio to a zen-like area, truly launched their creations for free. They explained, “We wanted the space to instantly evoke a spa vibe, so we designed the staircase leading down in dark materials to create a serene and decorated atmosphere. [it] Waxed concrete to imitate the natural texture of stones. Beneath a lattice skylight, they built a raised platform to house a circular Jacuzzi, while in turn they installed a shower room and bathroom sauna decorated with a constellation of small mosaic tiles designed in collaboration with ceramics brand Beton Blanché.” The concept behind the luxury area was to envision a space in which the owners could They move into a quiet environment from the comfort of their own home.” A fitting summary, one could argue, for the purpose of the entire project.
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