Step inside a revived 19th-century apartment in Paris’ Canal Saint-Martin neighbourhood, designed for an art-loving client.
Parisian interior designer Rodolphe Parente has taken a unique approach to a 150-square-metre apartment in the city’s northeast, reflecting the identity and tastes of his creative client. “It was important for this particular project to capture the atmosphere of the area, as well as the radical tone of my client’s art taste,” he reveals. “It was a rewarding experience creating a dialogue between the interiors and their existing art pieces while also engaging in conversations about new pieces.”
The kitchen is characterised by stainless steel, travertine and warm pink tones, which complement existing heritage elements. The photograph on the wall is by Walter Pfeiffer.
The dining space, lined with original chevron floorboards, features custom pieces by Rodolphe Parente – a waxed stained ash dining table and yellow lacquered metal suspension – as well as Bruno Rey chairs. The photograph on the back wall is by Camille Vivier.
The walls in the living space, painted a warm beige, form a neutral backdrop for the eclectic mix of furniture. In the back left corner, a sculpture by Nick Devereux rests atop a pedestal table by Martin Szekely. The painting to the right is by Celia Hampton.
Rodolphe sought to balance, or in his words, “create a tension between” the heritage elements of the apartment and the new, more expressive elements. This is typified in the kitchen, where the designer has paired stainless steel, travertine and warm pink tones with the space’s existing Haussmannian features – namely, the ornate wall details and timber floors. “There must be a form of friction between heritage and creativity – areas of resistance and discontinuity. This is really what the kitchen is about,” he says.
The palette, as a whole, is a shifting landscape of colour and texture, speaking volumes of the person that lives there. “I enjoyed creating what I feel is a fitting backdrop for the client’s contemporary art collection,” Rodolphe says. He adds that he always strives to invite craftsmanship into his projects and leans on local French artisans for quality, unique pieces.
Rodolphe also sought to create new experiences and perceptions of space within the compact floor plan. “We reopened and reconfigured the apartment to create new possibilities of circulation; I almost want people to feel lost in my projects to generate curiosity.”
Through a unique approach to layout and materiality, Apartment Canal Saint-Martin elicits feelings of wonder and, at times, bewilderment. “I don’t want to conform to any particular style; I want to create peculiar stories that spark conversation,” Rodolphe says.
The second living space features a custom coffee table, floor lamp and sofa set designed by Rodolphe Parente, as well as a photograph by Thomas Mailaender.
More colour and texture play in the bedroom, featuring a silk headboard, bright-purple rug, leaf-green throw blanket, baby-pink floor lamp and butter-yellow walls.
The powder room feels dark and sensual in comparison to the pastel-toned bathroom.
The entrance features the Glas Italia Bisei console, a Gino Sarfatti wall lamp and a painting by Guy Yanai.
Rodolphe Parente
