Shunning convention and embracing the unexpected was the design mantra for the renovation of this 18th-century home
KITCHEN
‘No one expects a sky with pink clouds in their kitchen,’ says interior designer Claude Cartier. The dreamy mood is underlined by the bar stools in pastel shades.
DINING ROOM
‘Rules are subverted here: it features two round tables like you would find in a chic restaurant,’ says Claude.
Located in eastern France, this 18th-century townhouse was in desperate need of renovation, but who could ever have imagined it would become the super-colourful, super-contemporary and super-stylish abode seen here?
The Lyon-based interior decorator Claude Cartier is who.
She has rest yled the historical building in a rather radical, creative and unexpected way. W hen the couple who own the property asked Claude to consider the project, she immediately understood that a bold approach was needed. ‘On the first visit, what impressed me most was the evident past of the building, which was at the same time both spectacular and a little overwhelming. Plus, it didn’t correspond at all to the DNA of the family,’ she says.
‘So I thought I had a duty to create some decorative codes to sof ten the original architecture – such as in the entrance, which was magnificent with its two very large double wooden doors and highly decorative stained- glass windows, but it all needed a new interpretation related to the present day.’ And Claude had aplan.
While several practical updates were needed as part of the renovations, the most distinctive element of the revamp lies in Claude’s colour choices. It is this that defines this project, making it one of a kind. ‘While the couple had started with white and grey monochromes, we moved towards more complex combinations of pale pink, light blue and light grey, which we worked in a contemporar y way,’ she says. ‘The best example? The geometric bands that create asequence on the walls. In short, anything but all-over colours.’
This chromatic code also inf luenced the choice of only contemporar y furniture, with a selection of iconic pieces such as the Gentry sofa by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso and the A rrangements suspension lamp by Michael A nastassiades for Flos. Luxurious carpets from cc-tapis are every where – and like the colours chosen for the walls, they help soften the space, creating arefined yet cosy ambiance. As
