“I love this project because the owner was immediately open to my suggestions and trusted me with everything,” says interior designer Lauranne Élise Schmitt. “He works in finance and has lived in London and Frankfurt, so he’s used to hushed, subdued atmospheres, like that found in a private English club. That’s what inspired me.” Before Lauranne Élise could redesign this 646-square-foot space on rue Lamarck, in Montmartre, she demolished much of the existing unit. On the side facing the street, a partition was removed to create a living-dining-kitchen area. On the interior, courtyard side, a clean slate was also created. The corridor, which was taking up too much space, was reconfigured, and the old kitchen became a bedroom—or rather a principal suite—with two sliding glass doors on either side of the headboard that open onto the bathroom.
In this project with no real constraints on the designer, Lauranne Élise was able to give free rein to her vision. In the living room, bespoke distressed mirrors frame antique wardrobes to create a sense of depth while preserving the Haussmannian spirit of the space. She also indulged her love of beautiful wood. “Dark wood is something of a signature for me,” Lauranne Élise says. “When it is lightly varnished, there’s nothing more chic. The antique wardrobe matches the vintage IKEA armchairs, which I think are beautiful with their leather and dark wood.” A carpet with a backgammon and checkerboard motif is a highlight of the living room and provides a graphic nod to the work of designer Andrée Putman. The playful touch is in keeping with the owner’s lifestyle—he is always ready to go out, or stay in, with friends.
Everything has been carefully planned in the apartment, like the wall-mounted bookcase between the two openings in the living room. This piece of furniture was designed by the interior designer, as were the wall and base units in the kitchen. Like the walk-in wardrobes in the bedroom, they are made of mahogany. The window in the dining room has been left unobstructed so that the space is not visually overloaded. Patricia Urquiola’s glass table, with its subtle ochre tones and layers, adds a touch of lightness to the kitchen’s matte mahogany elements. The backsplash is in a waxed concrete that matches that of the vanity unit in the bathroom—a good choice for a small space where too many materials could undermine the apartment’s coherent look. Above the table, a yellow resin pendant by Sabine Marcelis creates a play of transparencies between its warm tones and the browns of the wood.
This club-like atmosphere found in other parts of the apartment continues in the bedroom, with its dark ochre walls and ceiling, and in the bathroom, with its deeper burgundy color contrasting with shiny ceramic tiles. The floor is waxed concrete, as is the vanity unit (which is in the same tan tone as the kitchen backsplash), creating a dialogue of matte-gloss materials with the mahogany of the dressing room, which runs from the bathroom to the bedroom in a range of brown and earthy colors. The cornices on the ceilings have been retained—and new ones added in the suite. “The idea was to preserve the vestiges of the past, such as the location of an old Prussian stove hidden by a beveled cornice that creates an interesting geometric accident—an asymmetry in this skillfully crafted symmetry,” says Lauranne Élise with a laugh. She concludes by adding, “This refined box can be explained by my taste for warm, sophisticated interiors. My dream is to create spaces that are all wood and dark colors, and mahogany is such a beautiful wood.”
