This 388-square-foot Paris pied-à-terre unfolds like carriages on a luxury train: organized lengthwise, the apartment retains its original layout, but all of the internal partitions have been removed to offer a continuous perspective, punctuated by five south-facing windows.
The owner, a Californian who wanted to reimagine his pad in the French capital, “gave me complete creative freedom from the outset,” says interior designer Lauranne Elise Schmitt. “We shared some common points of reference, including a fondness for midcentury modern. It’s not a California style per se, but it’s had a big impact on the West Coast since the 1940s.” It makes sense that the Parisian transplant wanted to take a little slice of home across the pond with him.
The owner and Schmitt had excellent bones to work with going into the reimagining of the space. The apartment’s floor is a central element of its decor; natural black parquet is laid in a checkerboard pattern. It creates a strong statement throughout the home, which considers materiality heavily elsewhere as well. In the kitchen, for example, a honey-colored oak ceiling and storage units complement a bronze-patinated brass countertop. A custom solid oak table can be an impromptu desk for remote work. Two adjustable stools can be used for meals or as part of a compact bar. Calling the space a “bachelor pad” isn't quite right, though the phrase reflects much of the spirit of Schmitt’s versatile, elegant design.
After working with Christian Liaigre and Peter Marino (Louis Vuitton) teams, Schmitt ventured out on her own to make her mark in interior architecture and scenography. She says that she sees spaces as theaters to decorate, and the language of this space is a highly cinematic one.
In this space, she chose furniture for the space that combines Californian casualness with Parisian sophistication (see the vintage chocolate leather sofa in the style of Michel Ducaroy above). A coffee table by Gianfranco Frattini for Cassina from the 1970s adds a slick mediator between the modular sofa parts. Beveled mirrors and varnished arches also punctuate the space like statement pieces, while the antique brass and Murano glass pendant fixture refracts light like a piece of jewelry. In the oak ceiling, integrated diamond-shaped spotlights add an Art Deco touch, as do the fluted glass double doors leading to the bedroom. A variety of warm tones—gold, bronze, ochre, and caramel—temper the space with elegance and sensuality.
The decoratively rich bathroom is clad in Calacatta Selva marble with shades of white, beige, and chocolate, with walls covered in bronze and black mosaic tiles and a custom vanity unit in glossy mahogany-stained oak—one of Schmitt’s favorite materials. In this compact space, luxury, sensuality, and functionality is celebrated with a Californian twist—it feels like it is always the glowing moment of the golden hour.
When asked if she would consider this project a calling card, Schmitt laughs. “It’s funny because initially, I was reluctant to photograph this interior because of its small size,” she replies after mulling the question over. “But the universe I created there was, from the outset, extremely intuitive, and nothing really changed after that.”
Even if it were ten times as large, we imagine that this apartment might not be so different. The attention to detail and the high-end finishes superbly demonstrate Schmitt’s advanced understanding of materials, floor plans, small details, and storytelling. From a hotel project in London to a house in Normandy, her other recent projects are further proof of her talents—and we can’t wait to see where she’ll go next.
This 388-Square-Foot Paris pied-à-terre was originally published in AD France.
