A double-volume apartment in Paris’s 9th Arrondissement takes the Avant-Garde art movement of Dadaism as its interior-design inspiration, resulting in a space that is bold and audacious.

Sign up any interior design firm that cites Dadaism as its primary influence, and you are pretty much guaranteed something a little left of centre. The early 20th century avant-garde art movement was born out of a response to the savagery of World War I, with its proponents questioning every aspect of a society capable of starting and then prolonging it – including its art.

The Dadaists fervently crumpled up traditional values and launched a three-pointer into the bin. So a brave choice, then, for the owner of this Parisian duplex to hire Thomas Dariel and Maison Dada. On the plus side, Delphine Moreau did have some insider info on her choice of interior designer – she’s a partner in the business. And that means that playful and quirky forms, as well as contrasting colour combinations, were always on the cards.

Founded in 2016, Maison Dada was based on a wild dream to inject a dose of Dadaism into everyday life, creating furniture, lighting and decorative accessories in what they saw as the realm that bridged dreams and reality. In the words of Monsieur Dariel, “Dadaism is the foundation of contemporary design, contemporary art and a contemporary way of thinking. Dada is a state of mind. That freedom is part of my signature. Maison Dada’s collection is a reflection of that – of an unrestrained imagination that brings life to objects.”

Much like the world’s acceptance of the early Dadaists, this renovation got off to something of a rocky start. The project was initially delayed by a year when the structure of the six-metre- tall duplex had to be reconfigured. “Initially, there was only the atelier, a small kitchen, the bathroom, two small bedrooms and another room adjoining the mezzanine,” recalls Thomas. “We broke everything down to create a new narrative, with a living room and a staircase placed to the side to let light in. This way, the ceiling height is experienced in its full grandeur.”

In the Dadaist tradition of mismatch, Thomas cites his influences as early 20th century Vienna, Italian design of the 1960s, and ancient Asian decorative arts. These common threads are expressed in the apartment with a “sense of the unexpected”. The living room’s strong vertical, horizontal and oblique lines, two-tone paint treatment, windows, chandelier and staircase have as a counterpoint soft curved sofas and armchairs. It’s an unusual colour palette too – shades of pink link arms with the blue side of the colour wheel in teals, navies and skies, all tied together by Maison Dada’s Jardin de Rocaille rug that recalls mineral extracts, stone flakes and marble patterns, along with leaves, flowers, petals and berries.

Blue also dominates in the kitchen, set under the mezzanine, with the cupboards painted in a Moroccan- inspired hue that pays homage to Fes – a city that’s often referred to as the country’s cultural capital. Here, again, shades of pink act as a contrast in the wall tiles, and in the ceramic vase that sits atop a brushed copper bar on a polished rosewood plinth.

It’s from the space above that you can truly appreciate Thomas’s love of contrast and of the unexpected. The mezzanine’s tranquil white, spacious workspace offers a beautiful view of the riot of colour and shapes of both the living area below and the iconic city’s 9th Arrondissement.

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Five extraordinarily chic hotels recently flung open their doors in the city of love. Ready to explore?

Bulgari Hotel

When a luxury house as well known for its Italian craftsmanship as Bulgari opens a hotel in the heart of Paris’s Golden Triangle, just moments away from the Champs-Élysées, you expect it to be the perfect mesh of two fashionable cultures. And it is. A photograph of Sophia Loren looking out at Avenue George V takes pride of place in the lobby, perfectly encapsulating this mix. The architecture is an homage to the palaces designed by Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, and the facade has been constructed in the same pale stone as the Louvre and the Trocadéro. Inside, it’s all marble and granite, softened by silk wall coverings, tapestries and marquetry.

Hôtel Madame Rêve

Hôtel Madame Rêve has taken up residence in the former Louvre post office building in the ritzy 1st arrondissement. It’s super-discreet, with nothing more than its geometric-style name embossed onto a single sandstone corner to announce its existence. Once inside, though, expect to find a rooftop bar-slash-urban oasis with a 360- degree view of the city, and a sexy penthouse Japanese restaurant that attracts Paris’s coolest locals. The retro, wood-panelled rooms are dramatically accessorised by little more than unobstructed views of the city’s most legendary monuments, thanks to the genius addition of impressive sloping windows.

READ MORE: London’s New Design-Forward Hotels

Cheval Blanc Paris

Since 1869, La Samaritaine’s Art tNouveau facade presided over the River Seine – but in 2005, the historic department store was shuttered. Its new owners, LVMH, set out to convert the iconic building, restoring it to its Belle Époque glory. In its new guise, it boasts one of the city’s chicest and most luxurious boutique hotels – and with close to 600 artisans involved in the restoration, and works by global artists throughout, spending a night here is a museum-worthy experience. A striking beige, white and gold colour palette is offset by staggering views – and there’s an underground Dior spa. It’s been aptly described as “1930s elegance meets 1970s grooviness”.

Château Voltaire

Imagine the buzz at Paris Fashion Week when co-founder of cult French label Zadig & Voltaire, Thierry Gillier, announced he was opening a hotel. The concept is “undone elegance” – sounds perfectly, fashionably Parisian, non? The idea is that guests should feel like they’re overnighting at his home, among his personal art collection. There are just 32 rooms, all completely different in size and design, and from the almost-secret room tucked into the eaves to room number 47 (which has its own terraced garden), the entire space is imaginative and insouciant. As with many great Paris hotels, there’s a hotel dog – and yes, it is a French bulldog. His name is Bobby.

READ MORE: New York’s New Design-Forward Hotels

Chouchou Hotel

You’ll find Chouchou Hotel in the heart of the Opera District, just blocks from the most famous opera house in the world – Palais Garnier, the setting of The Phantom Of The Opera. The newly opened Chouchou doesn’t take itself too seriously: named after a French term of endearment, Chouchou loosely translates as “teacher’s pet”, and the hotel has lived up to that name, quickly becoming a favourite destination among locals. In a nod to its location, the rooms and suites are all named after famous French songs and novels. Stay in the pastel-pink La Vie En Rose, or hole up in the Heartsnatcher/L’Arrache-cœur suite, named after French writer Boris Vian’s 1953 novel.

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Take a look inside a reimagined Parisian micro-apartment that was transformed from an abandoned and derelict attic space into a Scandi-inspired bright and airy home.

Villa Saint-Michel, which was built in 1880 near Montmartre Cemetery, underwent a complete facelift by architect Nicolas Bossard. The uninhabited space was falling apart although the framework and original foundations held promise for a revival.

Bossard began by reinforcing the structure and adding an attic with a staircase as well as a separation wall for a kitchen, accessed through an arch with concealed storage space. Exposed beams and bright yellow paint provide a creative and original feel.

Burgundy stone and exposed bricks are juxtaposed with contrasting white beams within the kitchen – which has ample space for the smaller-than-usual apartment.

A clever design in the main living area is the use of mirrors to create the illusion of a bigger space. Using light coloured materials and soft edges also help to bring an airy and spacious feel to the room. The staircase is compact and takes up as little space as possible while acting as a statement feature.

Upstairs, the bedroom and bathroom are compact, but the addition of a skylight brings an added feeling of a larger area. Bossard mirrors features from downstairs – upstairs, by bringing in the same colours and the arch that features in the kitchen.

A dressing room completes the upstairs area, ensuring that the compact bedroom remains uncluttered and calm.

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Check out this micro apartment in Hong Kong.

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In the heart of Le Perche, just an hour outside Paris, interior architect Vincent-Louis Voinchet has boldly renovated two farm buildings to create a unique guesthouse.

Interior architect Vincent-Louis constantly shakes up traditions at his design practice, Studio Nohau. And he made no exception to this rule when renovating his country house in the bohemian countryside region of Le Perche, about an hour away from Paris. The upgrades included a restructuring of spaces – the remains of two rural buildings, which included cramped rooms and abandoned barns – and re-imagining them in a refined way that incorporates both Japanese and German influences. “I’m a great admirer of Charlotte Perriand’s work during her stay in Japan in the 1940s,” says Vincent-Louis, “but also of the Bauhaus style – of the search for an aesthetic that’s all about simplicity, stripped-down elegance and functionalism.”

In the renovation, which involved two buildings and more than 800m2 of floor space, he set out to create a new vision of what a country house should be. “I don’t like shabby-chic, scrap furniture, or old, damp stone that takes three days to heat up,” he says. “I wanted to create a comfortable, elegant, unique atmosphere here, surrounded by nature.”

Over a two-year period, the existing spaces were enlarged and modified to create a better flow. The passageway arches, the fireplace and some of the ceilings were clad in concrete; oak window and door frames were exposed and refurbished; and some of the openings were replaced by larger windows framed in vintage style metalwork. Finally, furniture pieces designed by Vincent-Louis in black

marble and steel were added to the reworked spaces. Careful design and attention to detail were evident throughout the process. “I’m a finishings maniac,” says Vincent-Louis with a smile. “For example, I drew up the plans for the bathrooms so there would be no cuts in the 15x15cm tiles. It’s much nicer and cleaner…”

There’s plenty of black in the elegant interiors. It works to ground and define the spaces, and acts as a framing element for the predominantly 1960s and ’70s furniture and lighting, most of which was sourced by Vincent-Louis for his extensive personal collection. As a result, the interiors are both intimate and ideal for socialising – the kind of spaces where subtle contrasts play out between the beautiful raw materials and radical architectural lines.

The updated home now has eight bedrooms, two lounges, a library, a hammam, two swimming pools (one indoors, one outdoors), a bar and even a cinema room for those long winter evenings. Originally designed as a countryside holiday retreat for family and close friends, Maison Ceronne has enchanted visitors so much that Vincent-Louis and his partner decided to open it up to paying guests,

making it a sort of small, rural hotel for guests wishing to escape Paris. And there’s little doubt that the combination of superb amenities and gorgeous setting will make the venture a huge success.

Looking for more architectural or travel inspiration? Take a look at this coastal Kenyan villa.

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WORDS Robyn Alexander PRODUCTION Sven Alberding PRODUCTION Greg Cox / Bureaux

Emmanuel de Bayser is lucky enough to divide his time between two of Europe’s great locales: Berlin and Paris. In Berlin, he runs his fashion and design store, The Corner Berlin – and when in residence in his Paris apartment, he works intensely on selecting the very best in current fashion, design and decor for The Corner.

Emmanuel’s Paris pied-à-terre is situated in a building that’s typical of the neoclassical style in which Parisian dwellings were constructed during the time of Georges-Eugène Haussmann’s famous “renovation” of the city in the 19th century – even though it was actually built a number of years after the legendary city planner’s death in 1891.

It’s a small space – just 70m2 in total – but it feels spacious and expansive. This is the result of the building’s elegant “bones”, which include high ceilings that make for light-filled rooms, and interconnecting doors with original glazed panels that open up the space and allow light to move through. Accentuating the feeling of luxurious roominess is wall-to-wall carpeting in cream wool, and all of the apartment’s rooms look out over an elegant Parisian park, which means that fresh air and views of manicured greenery abound.

As a collector of French mid-century design, furniture and collectables for the past 20 years, Emmanuel describes that genre of design as “timeless – it also mixes so well with the architecture from periods before it was created. It has a patina and a lively character that somehow both contrast and fit other styles.”

His Paris home is proof of these assertions: in the neoclassical apartment, pieces by iconic mid-century designers Jean Prouvé, Pierre Jeanneret and Serge Mouille seem perfectly at home, while items by contemporary French designer India Mahdavi add sophistication to the mix. And then there are colourful ceramics by Georges Jouve, a collection of African tribal art figurines, and a final layer of contemporary artworks and books.

The tribal figurines are part of a relatively small collection, but a special one. For Emmanuel, these artworks link back to the history of modern art in France, with their influence on artists such as Constantin Brâncusi and Pablo Picasso having been well documented. Like his ceramics collections and his books, these works bring a unique and personal feel to the apartment that is very important to him.

A born collector, Emmanuel readily confesses to being continuously in pursuit of pieces by his favourite designers and artists. He also tends to need new points of focus now and then: his large collection of ceramics by French mid-century ceramicist Georges Jouve was begun in part, he says, because “I had no space for any more furniture.”

Emmanuel also masterfully articulates what makes a variety of mid-century modern designs special. For example, speaking of French lighting designer Serge Mouille, who created the wall-mounted and standing lamps that feature in the apartment’s interiors, he explains that Mouille’s work has a very industrial feel (it is made of cast metal and features angular supporting arms), yet the shapes of the lampshades are subtly curved and have a softer touch than many other industrial-style pieces. The result is “something much more sensual and interesting”, says Emmanuel.

This petite and perfectly considered Paris apartment is a true pied-à-terre – a “foot on the ground” second home in which its owner spends a limited amount of time. And it’s an ideal base from which to savour some of the finest things that the City of Light has to offer.

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Take a look at this apartment in Cape Town’s City Bowl.

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The new Hôtel Les Deux Gares in Paris is the first hotel project to reflect the marvellous mashup that is the signature style of up-and-coming British interior designer Luke Edward Hall.

London-based artist and interior designer Luke Edward Hall is hot property in international design circles right now. Known for his fearless, exuberant interiors that confidently combine multiple eras and artistic references, he recently completed his first hotel project in Paris: the Hôtel Les Deux Gares. Les Deux Gares is the fourth hotel to be created by Touriste group founder Adrien Gloaguen, who came across the abandoned property in a narrow alley of Paris’s 10th arrondissement between Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est with his friend Antoine Raccat. The duo knew right away that they wanted to redevelop it together, and that Luke Edward Hall was the right designer for the project. After a complete renovation, the hotel spaces now reflect a mashup of eras and ideas. The interiors are the opposite of discreet or lowkey: the lobby, for example, combines emerald-green walls with a black-and-white marble floor, gilt furniture, giant mirrors, and Warhol, Hockney and Cocteau exhibition posters. It’s all mixed together with an almost nonchalant air, resulting in an atmosphere of relaxed elegance.

But the real secret to the attraction of this look is the fact that it’s anything but casually created. “I love listening to stories from the past, and feeling as though I’m entering another, more elegant era,” says Luke. Having graduated from Central Saint Martins, the designer founded his own studio in 2015 at the age of 26, and his approach to interior design is about avoiding the obvious path. “I start projects by leafing through old books and magazines; then, I visit galleries and museums,” he says. “I allow myself the time to dream and invent stories.” Luke draws, paints, collaborates with brands, stages interiors, writes a weekly column for FT Magazine, and creates fabrics, furniture and accessories.

In the 40 guest rooms at Les Deux Gares, Luke has used mismatched geometrical rugs, headboards boasting broad stripes, classic Tulip tables, fringed velvet chairs and ’70sinspired lights. And did we mention the bright, yellow Art Deco bathrooms, which sport mint-green, baby-blue and pink fittings? “It’s this combination of styles that, I hope, will intrigue guests”, Luke says.

Across the street, the hotel’s café continues the story. One of the unique colours of the guest rooms – cherry red – is prevalent here, and is mixed with the codes of traditional Parisian cafés: cement tiles, Thonet chairs and seats with bold stripes, as well as a banquette and bistro tables in stained wood. “Design can often be very serious, whereas I want my work to convey joy,” says Luke. And that’s exactly what he has managed to achieve at Hôtel Les Deux Gares.

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Take a look at this chic apartment in Paris.

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Sintered stone brand Neolith® is specified throughout the interior of master pâtissier Cédric Grolet’s Paris apartment.

Cédric Grolet, one of the most exciting and creative talents in modern cookery, has won multiple awards for his pastry work, including the prestigious Gault Millau Pâtissier of the Year and 50 Best’s Best Pastry Chef, the highest accolade of its kind in the profession.

Cédric’s work is characterised by visually striking patisserie, including his iconic (and much imitated) Rubik’s Cube Cake and his trompe-l’oeil desserts that accurately mimic freshly-plucked fruit.

When it came to renovating his Parisian apartment, the overall concept was developed by the chef himself, with an overarching vision of creating a space that delivered a big, aesthetic statement while allowing for a degree of practicality, essential for exercising his culinary feats.

“I wanted a space which would give me the freedom to experiment without restricting my imagination,” says Cédric. “I completely remodelled my apartment from top to bottom. I wanted to give it that idiosyncratic ‘Cédric’ spirit, reflecting my personality and beliefs. This meant it had to be as simple and unfussy as possible, using the very best materials available on the market.”

Cédric never adds unnecessary decoration or flourishes to his pastry work, an attitude that was central to his overall design vision. He wanted to combine simple, white marble-type surfaces with exposed stone walls and unvarnished wooden flooring throughout the property.

Primarily, he wanted to communicate a “closeness to nature,” which visitors to his apartment would sense the instant they stepped over the threshold. As such, it was essential to ensure these materials were 100% natural in their composition.

Working with highly-skilled fabricators J. Léger and La Marbrerie Contemporaine he set about bringing his dream to life.

Having tested a number of different surfacing options, Cédric spotted Neolith and was immediately impressed by its performance qualities. “What I like about Neolith is that it is non-porous and very easy to clean, an essential requirement for precise pastry work,” he says. “For example, I can knead and roll directly on the surface and it doesn’t stain or tarnish. It also offers a neutral, crisp backdrop, which allows my cakes and desserts to stand out, perfect for my Instagramming activity.”

Neolith Estatuario Silk was specified for the kitchen island, worktops and splashback. In an unusual twist, the island’s surface spills over onto the floor and up the wall, creating a marble-like feature that suggests organic continuity within the space. Contrasted with parquet floors, a limestone wall and pure white cabinetry, Neolith works in harmony with the kitchen’s other elements to deliver a relaxed atmosphere without detracting from the room’s main purpose.

Cédric’s philosophy also extends to other aspects of the property, particularly to the bathrooms, where waterproof materials that are easy to clean are indispensable.

Neolith Calacatta Polished was used for a minimalist, mounted vanity and wall-to-wall for a magnificent wet room with a waterfall shower. Adding an element of contrast, Neolith Iron Frost was used for the guest bedroom’s walk-in shower, the unobtrusiveness of the surface’s colour creating a soft, gentle and relaxing effect.

The Sintered Stone brand’s dedication to creating surfaces of the highest quality, using the best, 100% natural, raw materials echoes the pastry chef’s commitment to sourcing the very best produce.

Ever striving for perfection, Cédric sees this project as the start of an ongoing journey with Neolith. “Having observed the potential and versatility of the material in my own home, I am already imagining specifying it for a future project; I will definitely use Neolith surfaces again for either a culinary laboratory or a patisserie.”

For more information, visit neolith.com.

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To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Louvre’s Pyramid in Paris, French artist JR teamed up with 400 volunteers to create an optical illusion using 2 000 paper strips.

The collage is titled “The Secret of the Great Pyramid” and exposes what may lie beneath the architectural structure.

Around the iconic pyramid, JR has created a glimpse into a construction site, which looks like it travels downwards into a deep rocky hole.

“The images, like life, are ephemeral,” JR explains on his website. “Once pasted, the art piece lives on its own. The sun dries the light glue and with every step, people tear pieces of the fragile paper. The process is all about the participation of volunteers, visitors and souvenir catchers. This project is also about presence and absence, about reality and memories, about impermanence.” 

For more of JR’s work, follow him on Instagram.

(h/t) thisiscolossal.com

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Cruising along the Seine River in France, photographer and eternal traveller DOOK fell in love with a thoroughly modern lady.

I first saw her from a bridge in Paris, slender, stealth matte black, slinking along the Seine River.

She’s so out of this world compared with the other vessels on the river that I thought she could easily belong to the demonic Darth Vader from Star Wars. I imagined him, evilly exhausted, horizontal on the sun deck, heavy breathing in his charmingly evil way, drinking Moon-Uranus cocktails through an eco-friendly straw while watching the French countryside slide silently by for the eight-day trip from Paris to the coast and back.

She is the brainchild of another class act, the stylish South African Tollman hotelier family. Their Uniworld Boutique River Cruises fleet traditionally serves a predominantly very mature market in their classic vessels in destinations from Europe to Asia. Noticing a rising interest from millennials, however, they wanted to cater for them with something different and contemporary. So, when the River Ambassador and River Baroness came up for a facelift, they decided not to nip and tuck the floral ball gown but to do a complete makeover, trimming them into slick, sultry ebony models that would elegantly strut the main European waterways: Aptly renamed The A and The B, the two river cruise ships got their own category: U by Uniworld. The A navigates the Rhine and the Danube, and The B cruises the Seine.

Talented Toni Tollman and her colleague Brian Brennen are the designers behind the look. They dressed the boats in classic black and white, with the occasional furniture accessory in purple or Oyster Box red. The other bright hues cleverly come from metres of hidden LED strips in selected areas around the boat, inside and outside, that change spectrum very gradually and continuously, giving a monochromatically sleek look in the daytime and changing into colourful party attire at night.

The B anchored near the Eiffel Tower.

To allow for more generous space in the public areas, the 61 cabins were made quite compact (apart from the 4 generous suites). All have views, sensible storage (like space under the beds for bags), en-suite bathrooms, Bluetooth speakers and, like the rest of the ship, plenty of sockets and USB ports for all the gadgets we cannot live without.

I adore the look of the two cabins that accommodate three singles in a spaceship pod-like configuration, each with its own TV and control of its own LED lights.

It’s a paperless environment, so daily menus and information are displayed on screens in the suites and public areas. Guests can also expect to be in regular WhatsApp contact with their U hosts.

The U Lounge is the hub of the ship, with a bar, dance area, table football and an iconic neon heart artwork that illuminates one corner booth.

The dining room has a clean café look, with vintage bulbs and gleaming Stormtrooper-white tables. The less-frills concept even applies to teacups, as there are none! Although there is a wide choice of teas, hot drinks are all served in simple mugs.

The cool Ice Bar on top is decked out in a dazzling chequerboard pattern. Along with the captain’s bridge, it fascinatingly lowers itself with hydraulics so the ship can pass underneath some of the older bridges across the Seine. On the sun deck, a perimeter bench upholstered in stripes invites you to lounge about and feel famous.

The fun force was with me, but leaving my new love B was heartbreaking. Then a fiendishly wicked thought came to mind. Go with the flow, make a date with sister A. I realised I’d just joined the dark side!

For more information, visit ubyuniworld.com.

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The work of Paris-based illustrator Virginie Morgand, who has done work for brands like Gucci, J.Crew, The New York Times and Sunday Times Magazine, was spotted by VISI’s Editor-in-Chief Sumien Brink while attending Paris Design Week in September.

Virginie, who has become known for her bold use of colour, creates pieces not only in art print format, but for zines, book covers, tote bags, T-shirts, movie posters, and even deck chairs. She’s also completed murals focusing on one of her often featured subject matters, namely the swimming pool and its bathers.

Browse the gallery above for a look at 12 of her pieces. Follow her on Instagram to keep up to date with her latest creations.

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