When the owner of this Paris apartment first saw it post-renovation, she ‘shrieked, jumped up and down and collapsed onto the sofa’. So says Julien Sebban, founder of Uchronia, the studio behind the transformation. Looking at the extraordinary series of spaces here, it’s easy to understand her dramatic reaction.
Julien’s introduction to his clients, a couple who work in couture jewellery, couldn’t have been more auspicious – they were regulars at Café Nuances, a spot he designed just around the corner from their workplace on Place Vendôme. They hit it off instantly. As he says, ‘We love jewellery – the history, its healing qualities, the colours... It was a great match!’
They gave him a dream brief, too: to create an ‘architectural jewellery box; like a piece of Fabergé that opens to reveal a treasure trove of jewels’.
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Sitting in the fashionable Triangle d’Or on Avenue Montaigne, the apartment had retained its elegant Haussmann proportions, original mouldings and parquet floors but felt ‘cold, pretentious and beige’ according to Julien.
Leaving the layout as it was, the Uchronia team focused on injecting colour and personality into the decor and creating convivial zones using custom furniture and drapery, as well as vintage pieces and art. ‘Our clients love to entertain,’ he explains,‘so we needed a space to accommodate both intimate gatherings and large parties.’
Gemstones informed every aspect of the scheme. ‘Analysing what we loved about each stone led to us incorporating its qualities into specific rooms,’ says Julien. Malachite, sapphire, opal, pearl, ruby, tiger-eye and peridot were chosen for their distinctive colours, patterns and textures.
This was a journey of discovery for Uchronia as much as the homeowners. One example of this is the custom dégradé walls – a technique the studio developed with Atelier Roma. ‘There was a lot of experimentation,’ Julien tells us.
‘The effect on the walls was difficult to achieve, but it creates a wonderfully ethereal background and the colour gradient blends seamlessly into the sheer silk curtains by Justin Morin. The way they flutter in the breeze makes it feel as if the walls are alive.’
You get a sense of the exuberant characters who live here, whether it’s the living room’s low-level seating (inspired by nights spent lounging on rugs under the stars in the Moroccan desert) or the dressing room, positioned to allow guests to chat to their host from the vast platform bed next door.
For the dining room, Julien designed a marbled resin table inspired by malachite. The wavy-edged design is cosy enough for two people to enjoy dinner, but its jigsaw-like pieces can be rearranged to seat up to 20.
In each room, light is refracted through fabric and coloured glass and bounces off lacquered surfaces. The effect is a little like standing inside a fantastical kaleidoscope– disconcerting but delightful. uchronia.fr
