- Interior
In the eighth arrondissement of Paris, near the elegant Parc Monceau, we find this typical nineteenth-century Parisian residence in Hausmann style. Nathalie Deboel had the chance to furnish a beautiful apartment on the fourth floor, which reflects her own style and brings her love for the city inside.
The interior designer herself describes it as a home of encounters. Intimacy and togetherness, tradition and modernity merge into a romantic and special whole. The clients desire an interior that offers contemporary comfort and feels modern, creating the next chapter in the building's history, so to speak. The kitchen was integrated into the living area, ensuring that the owners have enough space to spend time with family and friends, for example while cooking.
These types of apartments often have a very closed layout, with small, formal rooms. These were now subtly opened up to ensure a spontaneous flow through the home. In the old design, the kitchen was where the staff congregated and was tucked away at the back of the residence, separated from the living space. Deboel turned the old kitchen into a home office and brought the cooking facilities into the large dining and living room, thus forming the beating heart of the interior. The three bedrooms were each given their own bathroom. Of course, such a contemporary update of a nineteenth century apartment did not come without its challenges. Especially technical difficulties surfaced during the process. Installing insulated floors and windows in a residence in the city centre, with many neighbours in the vicinity, proved to be quite a task.
Traditional elements such as mouldings, panelling, and ironwork were combined with contemporary aspects
Fortunately, this did not hinder Deboel's vision, and the result is as sublime as her other work. Traditional elements such as mouldings, panelling, and ironwork were combined with contemporary aspects. Wood, linen, and steel create a timeless feel, as do the parquet floor with lots of patina and the wax concrete in the wet areas. Italian marble was chosen for the kitchen worktop, while the furniture was done in chestnut wood and rattan upholstery. The kitchen, dining and living room, corridors, and bedrooms were decorated in light, soft tones, contrasting beautifully with the intimate dark blue in the office and adjacent guest room. This was complemented by vintage furniture by French designers, such as the dining table by Guillerme et Chambron and the chairs by Pierre Chapo. The large seating units were designed by Deboel's studio in collaboration with some Belgian craftspeople.
Finally, art was an important part of the project as well. Together, the interior designer and the client chose a number of artworks, which either use tone-on-tone colours to create a subdued accent or add just a little colour to the sober, natural whole. Parisian romance is palpable in every aspect of this apartment, uniting old grandeur and a contemporary layout. 
Photography by Cafeine