A chic Parisian apartment designed by architecture studio Heju is a colourful capsule of the cultured young couple that live there.
Architects Hélène Pinaud and Julien Schwartzmann (“He”-“Ju”) made their est debut with their beautiful Saint Antoine Apartment, where they revealed their intuitive and cohesive approach to design. Now, the duo are bringing us another apartment from the streets of their hometown Paris with the same material consciousness and attention to detail.
The suspended walnut kitchen counter is defined by carved handles, sand-coloured Travertine and gold accents. Other featured details include the Studio Haos Wall Lights 3.01, Lambert & Fils Dot Atomium pendant light and Muuto Workshop chair.
If you look at any one of Heju’s projects, you’ll notice a distinct poeticism to them. Blending Japanese and Scandinavian influences, the studio favours minimalist volumes and clean lines to bring emotion and repose into the daily lives of their clients. “For us, beauty is in the simplest details,” Hélène says.
This project comprised a complete renovation of an old 75-square-metre Parisian apartment. “We wanted to combine materials and know-how to produce both a daring and chic result,” Hélène says. “Daring” and “chic” are expressive of their highbrow clients, a pair of young fashion designers living in one of the world’s most eminent fashion capitals.
The living room features the Tacchini Sesann sofa and Gervasoni Brass 95 pendant.
White forms the basis of Duperré Apartment, while understated colours make a surprisingly bold impact. In the kitchen, white is contrasted with a soft shade of terracotta; in the living room, beige comes into play; and in the bedroom, peach and pink are the heroes. Gold is used to heighten these spaces, while walnut joinery reveals the studio’s penchant for bespoke detailing.
Custom-made pieces and sometimes unexpected textures weave all of these elements together. In the living room, for instance, a Tacchini Sesann sofa has been upholstered in burnt orange velvet; in the bedroom, a made-to-measure gold velvet headboard creates an enveloping cocoon around the bed. In the bathroom, patterned cement tiles line the floors, and sand-coloured Travertine countertops create a soothing atmosphere in the kitchen.
Hélène and Julien have produced yet another poetic display of materials, textures and colours inside a vibrant, design-rich city.
The pendant lights in the bedroom are from New Works, while the side table is the Serax Organic stool. The wood floors, also present in the kitchen and living room, have been painted white to create a light, calming feel.
The pink-themed wardrobe space subtly hints at the clients’ profession.
Where the old kitchen used to be is now a bathroom with patterned cement tiles and waxed concrete walls. “The totem washbasin cabinets sit like sculptures in the centre of the room,” Julien says.
