Houzz Tours
Paris Houzz Tour: Personalities Revealed in a Modern-Vintage Home
This designer went for a wall mural, touches of European and North African design, and lots of ’60s flair
A young couple looking for more space were lucky enough to find a beautiful 60-square-metre three-room apartment in Vincennes, a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. They fell in love with the floor plan with its double living room, separate kitchen and bedroom. The bright natural light coming in from the large windows in the main room was another welcome feature.
Nonetheless, the apartment needed a complete renovation. So, the owners called on interior designer and decorator Olivier Bourdon, who had previously renovated the apartment of one of their friends. Bourdon uses a preliminary questionnaire to gain an understanding of his clients’ personalities and tastes, so that he can create an interior that is as personalised as possible. The owners of this apartment told him about their Dutch and Algerian backgrounds; explained that they like vintage things, books and travelling; and discussed their interests in art, philosophy and culture. Bourdon represented these preferences on the walls of the three-room apartment.
Nonetheless, the apartment needed a complete renovation. So, the owners called on interior designer and decorator Olivier Bourdon, who had previously renovated the apartment of one of their friends. Bourdon uses a preliminary questionnaire to gain an understanding of his clients’ personalities and tastes, so that he can create an interior that is as personalised as possible. The owners of this apartment told him about their Dutch and Algerian backgrounds; explained that they like vintage things, books and travelling; and discussed their interests in art, philosophy and culture. Bourdon represented these preferences on the walls of the three-room apartment.
To complete his analysis, Bourdon asked them to name adjectives that appeal to them, in order to tailor the decor. One of the owners listed “melancholy, unusual, simple, eclectic, exuberant, intimate and studious,” while the other offered “calm and Zen.”
“[They] are not your average clients. Sensitive and cultured, they were unusually precise as to what they wanted,” says Bourdon.
As a result, Bourdon came up with a vintage universe with references to the period in which the building was constructed and the modernism of that era. He offered the owners the visual harmony of olive green and raw wood, both contrasted and connected by ultramarine. The couple immediately agreed to the proposal.
“[They] are not your average clients. Sensitive and cultured, they were unusually precise as to what they wanted,” says Bourdon.
As a result, Bourdon came up with a vintage universe with references to the period in which the building was constructed and the modernism of that era. He offered the owners the visual harmony of olive green and raw wood, both contrasted and connected by ultramarine. The couple immediately agreed to the proposal.
Entering the living room is a striking experience. On the wall, a huge wallpaper mural immerses the viewer into the light that is so characteristic of the Dutch Golden Age paintings by artists like Johannes Vermeer and Pieter van Ruijven.
Marcel Proust measured poetic art against the small patch of yellow wall in Johannes Vermeer’s View of Delft, stating “style for the writer, no less than colour for the painter, is a matter not of technique but of vision.” There is no doubt that Bourdon had similarly powerful vision in bringing to life the origins and tastes of his clients on this wall.
Marcel Proust measured poetic art against the small patch of yellow wall in Johannes Vermeer’s View of Delft, stating “style for the writer, no less than colour for the painter, is a matter not of technique but of vision.” There is no doubt that Bourdon had similarly powerful vision in bringing to life the origins and tastes of his clients on this wall.
The walls have been painted mineral grey. On the floor, the typically ’60s brick-pattern parquet was sanded and treated with matt varnish to bring out its light colour.
The idea of furnishing the apartment in ’50s and ’60s style appealed to both the talented bargain-hunter owners and Bourdon. “I enjoyed doing this because I grew up in a family of antiques dealers,” the latter says.
One of the owners found the two green armchairs, and Bourdon discovered the Scandinavian couch.
The idea of furnishing the apartment in ’50s and ’60s style appealed to both the talented bargain-hunter owners and Bourdon. “I enjoyed doing this because I grew up in a family of antiques dealers,” the latter says.
One of the owners found the two green armchairs, and Bourdon discovered the Scandinavian couch.
He is particularly proud of the brass-and-green-marble coffee table that he got at an auction for about 200 euros (AU$308).
One of the owners grew up in Holland, where large windows are common, so she was very pleased to find windows this size. Giving them the right finish was a question of creating large storage boxes that double as seats. A pine plywood, known in France as batipin, was chosen to complete the warm vintage atmosphere, as it is inexpensive but still has a gorgeous surface.
“Initially, we didn’t plan to clad the strip of wall next to the window, but the mural, sold in one size, was not wide enough to cover the entire wall. This batipin wall veneer solved the problem and frames the window well,” says Bourdon. This is how you turn a constraint into an advantage.
“Initially, we didn’t plan to clad the strip of wall next to the window, but the mural, sold in one size, was not wide enough to cover the entire wall. This batipin wall veneer solved the problem and frames the window well,” says Bourdon. This is how you turn a constraint into an advantage.
The second part of the double living room has been converted into a library-office. This was a necessity for the owners, who have a lot of books and work from home regularly. The library was custom-made out of the same pine plywood as the window seats by Jan Maes, a carpenter with an artistic streak who also paints and sculpts in his free time. Paying great attention to practicality and the lines of the room, he recommended building slightly staggered, adjustable shelves and a desk that extends from the bookcase.
The owners lent the room a touch of warmth by adding this handmade wool Beni Ourain.
Striving for a natural and healthy interior, the couple also got the apartment wired with LAN sockets, so that the homeowners do not have to use wifi.
Striving for a natural and healthy interior, the couple also got the apartment wired with LAN sockets, so that the homeowners do not have to use wifi.
The vintage atmosphere continues into the kitchen, thanks to a toile-like wallpaper and an old family table with matching Thonet bistro chairs.
The wall on the left is covered with the pine plywood, a common thread throughout the apartment, while the laminated oak benchtop echoes the wood on the other side of the room.
The wall on the left is covered with the pine plywood, a common thread throughout the apartment, while the laminated oak benchtop echoes the wood on the other side of the room.
Toile de Jouy-like Wallpaper: Carnival, from Au Fil des Couleurs
Jars of spices and wooden utensils remind the owners of their different journeys. “We have tried to design the interior of every room as a mixture of East and West, which is a way to both travel without leaving the house and hint at the owners’ roots,” says Bourdon.
The other side of the kitchen is adorned with an ultramarine wall: “This deep blue contrasts well with the batipin and creates the atmosphere of another place, like the Majorelle garden in Marrakesh.”
The walls and ceiling in the hallway are painted a soothing olive green to create calm before entering the bedroom. Two of the walls in the bedroom are covered with batipin to extend the warm wooden atmosphere.
On the floor, an organic wool carpet represents the couple’s love of natural materials, as does the set of washed linen bed sheets.
One of the walls is actually a giant, 40-centimetre-deep wardrobe. Closets and drawers that are connected to each other feature facades that were worked with great care to ensure that the wood grain runs seamlessly from one element to the next.
“The batipin, which is a softwood plywood, naturally has a beautiful grain, and it would have been unfortunate not to exploit it. But it requires real expertise,” says Bourdon.
One of the walls is actually a giant, 40-centimetre-deep wardrobe. Closets and drawers that are connected to each other feature facades that were worked with great care to ensure that the wood grain runs seamlessly from one element to the next.
“The batipin, which is a softwood plywood, naturally has a beautiful grain, and it would have been unfortunate not to exploit it. But it requires real expertise,” says Bourdon.
The bathroom continues the kitchen’s ultramarine theme. “We kept struggling to find the right decor for this room, until we finally came up with the idea of waterproof wallpaper. The owners immediately liked it,” says Bourdon.
This was coated in resin in several stages to make it water-repellent.
This was coated in resin in several stages to make it water-repellent.
The sink and the bathtub were already there when the couple moved in. To bring the vintage spirit into the bathroom, Bourdon bargain-hunted and found an old metal hospital cart with ceramic shelves to store bathroom accessories.
“We tried to evoke the styles that [the owner] particularly likes: those of Jean Cocteau and Madeleine Castaing, a 20th-century decorator and antiques dealer who was in love with blue and conceived decor ideas that ran contrary to contemporary canons. She wanted to ‘make poetry with furniture’, and to do so she blended styles and eras without fearing contradictions,” says Bourdon.
“We tried to evoke the styles that [the owner] particularly likes: those of Jean Cocteau and Madeleine Castaing, a 20th-century decorator and antiques dealer who was in love with blue and conceived decor ideas that ran contrary to contemporary canons. She wanted to ‘make poetry with furniture’, and to do so she blended styles and eras without fearing contradictions,” says Bourdon.
The very modern tapware, designed by Antonio Citterio for Axor, was selected for its retro look. A bevelled mirror adds to the vintage theme.
“[The owners] told me what their guests said when they first saw the apartment: they found that it evokes harmony, elegance, comfort and good feelings in general. What better compliment could I ask for? To succeed with a project, it is really important for the clients to open up and unveil their personalities. [The owners] went along with it and I thank them for that,” says Bourdon.
Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to like the story, save your favourite images and join in the conversation.
More
Craving not satisfied? Check out last week’s Copenhagen Houzz Tour: A Bold New Look for Scandi Style
“[The owners] told me what their guests said when they first saw the apartment: they found that it evokes harmony, elegance, comfort and good feelings in general. What better compliment could I ask for? To succeed with a project, it is really important for the clients to open up and unveil their personalities. [The owners] went along with it and I thank them for that,” says Bourdon.
Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to like the story, save your favourite images and join in the conversation.
More
Craving not satisfied? Check out last week’s Copenhagen Houzz Tour: A Bold New Look for Scandi Style
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple
Location: Vincennes, Paris, France
Size: 60 square metres
Duration of work: 4 months
Budget: 42,000 euros (AU$64,800)
Completion date: Summer 2017
Interior designer and decorator: Olivier Bourdon of Bambù
Since the owners liked the layout of the apartment, it was not changed. The decor, however, had to be completely redone. “Except the central heating system and oak flooring, there was nothing worth keeping,” says Bourdon.
When Bourdon interviewed the young couple about their expectations, one of the owners asked him to keep all traces of the apartment’s history and give it a personal touch wherever there were incongruities in the decor. Her partner emphasised his desire for beauty, space and a feeling of well-being.