This Paris Apartment Uses Playful Geometries to Create an Elegant and Extravagant New Look

By Ulrich Clewing

Photography by Francis Amiand

Fabrice Juan, the designer of this elegantly colorful Paris apartment, has a maxim that an interior "must function even without furniture." Agree or disagree, it's an interesting statement from Juan, who, before becoming a celebrated architect and designer, apprenticed as a carpenter. Before embarking on his current line of work, he’d already created a wide range of exceptional sofas and armchairs, tables and cabinets, lamps and accessories. Still, it is hard to disagree with the idea that a room should be able to stand on its own. In recent years, Juan has renovated and furnished a good number of stately apartments, largely in the posh Paris neighborhoods around the Bois de Boulogne and in Neuilly-sur-Seine where he has lived.

"The French art de vivre is worth preserving and promoting," says the designer. "The way craftsmanship and a sense of style are combined here is something quite special that is very close to me personally." And so Juan didn't hesitate for long when asked if he could take on this Paris apartment near the Champs-Élysées.

With a large entrance hall and seven rooms spread over 3,000 square feet, the apartment exudes a distinct Parisian bourgeois flair. But after decades of quiet grandeur, it needed some help being ushered into the 21st century. "From the get-go, the clients had only one wish," Juan recalls, "and that was to have the kitchen centrally located. They gave me free rein to make all other decisions. I had the impression that they wanted to be surprised by the result—too many discussions would have just been a bother to them."

The first thing Juan did was to rearrange the floor plan by moving the kitchen from the back to the center of the apartment, per the clients’ wishes, along with designing new cabinets and an island. What gives it a special twist, however, is the extended custom banquette from Juan's own Saint-Germain collection. Rounding out a corner, it emphatically proclaims that this kitchen is not just a kitchen—it's also a space for lounging. That table in front of the sofa serves not just as a dining table but also as a counter for groceries and a bar table of sorts.

Juan opened up the apartment's L-shaped entrance with terracotta-red walls. It's now practically a room in its own right. The floor is a spectacular and grand mosaic of oak parquet and inlays of limestone and travertine inspired by the craftsmanship found in France's aristocratic homes. Furnishings in the other rooms reveal the breadth of inspirations behind Juan's work. They range from Art Deco, with its dynamic lines and rounded corners, to the quirky, oversized, and boldly colorful pop designs of the 1970s and ‘80s.

For the walls, the designer came up with something special. To give order and structure to those ample areas that were once most likely decorated with classical wallpaper, he chose subtle colors in light shades of brown and ocher, and added grosgrain ribbon lines. In the large bedroom, they form rhombuses that recall the calming quality of old wall panels. In the remaining rooms these ribbon patterns are still linear, but more expressive, with acute angles, diagonals, triangles, and diamond shapes.

It's only in the large salon, which is also used as a dining room, where Juan left the walls free for the owners to hang their art collection. The pièces de resistance there are the striking rounded carpet and the tables, sofas, and armchairs from his Fabrice Juan furniture line. The Glove sofas and Odyssey armchairs, in particular, share a certain style with Willy Guhl's radical Loop Chair. When viewed from the side, their distinctive shapes make the difference in any interior. Juan is right when he says that a room must also function strictly as a room. But in the end, it is the design pieces that bring things fully and palpably into the present.

One can feel a warmth coming off the walls of the entryway in this Paris apartment, which the designer had painted in terracotta red. The Franck console is by Fabrice Juan's design studio, while the round mirror was made by the glass artist Kiko López. The Toulon light is by Aerin. Juan was inspired by French Rococo models for the oak wood floor that incorporates two different stones.

At the far end of the large salon, a Pulp dining table by Roche Bobois. Chairs by Marc de Berny are upholstered in a fabric by Banier et Ovadia. Fabrice Juan designed the two sideboards; the Odyssey chandelier comes from Schwung. The paintings of geometric shapes are by painter Dan Levenson and the tondo in the center, above the fireplace, is by artist Corine Van Voorbergen.

By Brett Berk

By Troy J. McMullen

By Joyce Chen

In the large living room, the Odysée armchairs and the Glove sofa sit on an Angel carpet, all made by Fabrice Juan's own studio. For the upholstery, Juan chose fabrics from Osborne & Little and Misia. The sculptures in the niches along the back wall were created by artist Julie Bergeron.

The new kitchen was meant to be the centerpiece of the apartment. Juan moved it from the back to the middle of the home, and designed the cabinets, island, and table for it. The banquette's length allows it to be used not only for the preparation of meals but also as a space where people can meet, relax, and talk.

Juan's affection for Art Deco is reflected in one of the bathrooms. He designed the Dune mirror and washstand in his studio, while the C.Lamp sconces are by Swedish Ninja.

By Brett Berk

By Troy J. McMullen

By Joyce Chen

In the guest room, Juan used a pattern of straight lines and right angles to create a calming effect. The fabric for the wall covering comes from British firm Villa Nova, and the bed, nightstands, and light fixtures are by Fabrice Juan.

In one of the guest rooms, a sunny yellow sofa by Fabrice Juan with upholstery by Misia brightens up the scene. The Arum floor lamp with its rounded marble base is by Ferm Living.

The bed, nightstands, and lights are by the Fabrice Juan design studio. Diagonal lines that form into rhombuses give the room its contemporary dynamism. For the walls, Juan used fabric from Villa Nova.

By Brett Berk

By Troy J. McMullen

By Joyce Chen

For this bathroom, the designer had a new floor of polished travertine and marble installed. Next to the George mirrors by Juan, Melange Elongated Pill Sconces are by Kelly Wearstler.

This story was first published by AD Germany. It was translated by John Oseid.