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Benefiting from a triple volume, and animated by vertical and horizontal flows, the living room forms the centrepiece of this apartment’s design. It offers views to the other spaces of the triplex, with structural elements softened by plaster curves and built-in joinery in organic shapes. A balcony overlooks this vast shared room, and the kitchen can be seen in the background. -
The sculptural staircase that leads to the upper levels is dressed in a rattan screen designed by GCG and custom- made by François Passolunghi, and a metal balustrade by GCG. -
Partially separated from the living room by an arched wall with a series of cutout niches, the dining area features a wood table and Grand Prix chairs by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen. -
The neutral palette of the living space is anchored by Blanc de Meudon wall paint from Argile, and complemented by Boho sofas from Maison de Vacances, teak Chandigarh armchairs by Pierre Jeanneret, and a rug by textile designer Marguerite Le Maire. The artwork is by Virginie Hucher, and the timber Room Divider screen is by X+L for Phantom Hands. -
The bespoke kitchen combines colourful MDF cupboards with wicker coverings designed by GCG and fabricated by François Passolunghi. The island, finished in lacquered grooved timber, conceals a bar. -
Conceptualised as a “winter garden”, the room adjoining the kitchen is dedicated to contemplation. Pétrole and Blanc de Fès zellige tiles from Ateliers Zelij complement the ceiling wickerwork by GCG and François Passolunghi. The Spike armchairs are from Zuiver. -
Just off the main entrance, a large glazed partition in the red-lacquered joinery conceals a dressing room and bathroom, as well as the owners’ study with yet another Chandigarh armchair. The stone floor by Piedra Paloma is laid in a custom pattern created by GCG. The China pendants are by Magic Circus Éditions. -
Just off the main entrance, a large glazed partition in the red-lacquered joinery conceals a dressing room and bathroom, as well as the owners’ study with yet another Chandigarh armchair. The stone floor by Piedra Paloma is laid in a custom pattern created by GCG. The China pendants are by Magic Circus Éditions. -
In the main en suite bathroom, walls finished in pink polished concrete by Mercadier contrast with the graphic Quarters cement floor tiles from Popham Design. The custom- made vanity unit is topped by basins from Masalledebain.com – and all that pink is tempered by black Triverde fixtures from Cristina & Ondyna, and a shower screen designed by GCG. -
One of the children’s bedrooms features a joyful La Parade des Oiseaux wallpaper by Mlle Mouns. -
The kids’ bathroom is a happy space, courtesy of the graphic, bright patterns of the Pod cement tiles by Popham Design. -
The main bedroom, graphically split in two with different shades of Argile paint, plays with the roof angle by means of a counter-slope. A lacquered Pols Potten Tip Tap stool serves as a bedside table.
WORDS Laurence Dougier PHOTOS Nicolas Mathéus
In this curvaceous Parisian flat, GCG Architects have emphasised a vertical flow, using the triple volume to make the most of the exceptional height of the space.
It’s an apartment of strong ideas – and one totally appropriate to its sought-after location: Paris’s 10th arrondissement has long had strong links with the performing arts in a tradition that dates back to the 18th century.
With this in mind, architects Dev Gupta, Olivia Charpentier and Alexandre Goulet of GCG have combined colour and specific finishing details to create a space that revolves around the apartment’s beautiful reception room. “We have worked this space with a theatre-opera inspiration that’s reflected in the interplay of mezzanines and balconies,” they say. “The flow revolves around the central space, which offers fleeting views and perspectives of the other rooms.”
Indeed, bathed in sunlight, the living room is the centrepiece of this beautiful design. It benefits from a triple volume animated by vertical and horizontal flows, varied diagonal views to the other spaces of the triplex, structural elements softened by plaster curves, and built-in joinery in organic shapes.
An entrance sequence leads you straight into a colourful world of majestic volume. A large glazed panel in red lacquered joinery hides a dressing room, guest bathroom and a study, and is separated from the living room by a central staircase dressed in an unusual rattan screen designed by François Passolunghi. The vast living area is separated from the kitchen and dining room by large plaster niches. To extend it, GCG’s architects have designed a “winter garden” room largely clad in green, Mediterranean-inspired zellige tiles. The room is dedicated to contemplation – it’s a place to retreat, read or daydream.
Overlooking the living space is a cantilevered walkway that contrasts the minimalist feel of the room. Underlined by theatrical arches and a balustrade, it leads to a U-shaped staircase heading to the second level, and a master bedroom that is split in two courtesy of a graphic paint effect that plays off the roof slant and a counter-slope. The staircase ends on the third level, where a children’s playroom has been created in the loft space.
The apartment is all about the generosity of its triple-volume space, and the interplay of curves and organic shapes that seem to guide you towards the ascent to the private rooms. And even up there, arches punctuate the comings and goings of family members above the living room, with bedrooms and bathrooms perched high up against the slope of the roof. To borrow a theatrical metaphor, this is paradise.
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