Most of the time, I decide everything,’ says Francesco Balzano of his work creating limited-edition furniture and running After Bach, his Paris-based interior-design studio. In the case of this apartment in the Marais, things were different. It belongs to Thibaut Van den Bergh, founder of Kolkhoze gallery, and represented a unique opportunity to bring someone else into his process, allowing it to become a true architectural conversation.
‘Thibaut was one of my first gallerists and when he was searching for a flat, he asked me to design it with him,’ recalls Francesco. ‘It was special for me because it was the first time I was making something for a friend.’
Before Thibaut bought the flat, which is on the third floor of a Faubourg building close to his gallery, it was totally different, with a mezzanine and the kitchen in another room. The vibe was classic and simple, says Francesco, who instantly noticed that the more public rooms needed to be on the street side, with bedrooms for Thibaut and his daughter overlooking the courtyard.
He explains that working on historic buildings in France is easier than in England: ‘There are restrictions regarding the façade, but total freedom to do what you want inside. We did not remove anything structural – most of the demolition was more about revealing the spirit of the original.’
The two main living spaces are perfectly symmetrical; over the fireplace in the living room hangs a huge painting, the work of Pierre Tal-Coat. Its mirror image is a striking marmorino-plaster mural by the artist Nicolas Reese that helps the kitchen almost disappear into the wall. It was also important to Thibaut that the flat could be used to display furniture by the artists he represents.
Some pieces have been custom-made for the space, including several by Francesco. ‘The fireplace was a bespoke design and now it is part of one of my collections,’ he explains, adding: ‘It was a way for him to have, not a showroom exactly, but an atmosphere to present part of the collection to clients or friends.’
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Because natural light was such a big part of the project and the furniture is so sculptural, Francesco decided a ‘clear, sweet palette, natural materials and minimal details’ were needed to create a serene backdrop. Giving that subtle scheme a sense of dynamism came down to playing with the marble that appears throughout the rooms.
‘We tried to find something in the code of the materiality; the stone provides a dialogue with the history of the building,’ he notes. ‘In the kitchen, dining room and living area, we use stone on the floor, but it’s not polished. It was totally matte, ivory, French stone.’
Connecting the spaces are deep oak-lined portals, each with a large piece of sculpted stone on the wall above, ‘like in a palazzo in Italy’, Francesco says. It’s an uncomplicated design, he adds, ‘like a ghost of something more sophisticated’. Rather than seeking to cause a sensation, these architectural details, with their perfect proportions and historic references, make an elegant statement.
Francesco loves the oak-clad entrance hall, which was inspired by art deco ‘in the Parisian style’ and the work of French interior designer Jean-Michel Frank, known for using luxurious materials in minimalist settings. With its low ceiling, clean lines and simple display of carefully chosen objects, the space creates a sensation of compression followed by expansion on entering the airy living room.
‘I love it because it’s intimate,’ he explains. ‘It gives a contrast with the two parts of the flat, a transition between the private and the public areas.’ This space strikes the perfect balance for him between honouring the classical lines of the building and expressing his own contemporary vision.
In that sense, it sums up the spirit of the project, which was an expression of friendship and the way he and Thibaut see the world. ‘He knows my work, I know his taste; it was easy because we understand each other so well.’ afterbach.com, kolkhoze.fr
