Architect Thibaut Picard sublimated the volumes and moldings of Haussmann’s apartment, turning it into a large bright space, an ideal place for a couple and their two children to live.
After graduating from ENSA Paris Architecture, Val des Seine Beaux-Arts, Thibaut Picard collaborated for the first time with major agencies in architecture as well as interior architecture and custom furniture design, as well as, above all, on major projects for the luxury hotel industry. : Just in 2019, after traveling the planet for many projects, he launched his agency in Paris. His experience allows him to provide expertise at all stages of a project. For him, there is no question of systematic cleansing of the past. He likes to enhance what is there, to preserve the history of places, adapting it to the lifestyle of his clients. Proof with this massive Haussmann apartment, where he managed to keep moldings and fireplaces… while bringing in color, light and functionality.
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The starting point
“When I first saw this 180 m² apartment, located in a Haussmann-style building in the Alessia district of Paris, I immediately noticed the interesting volumes, the beautiful moldings. The apartment, of course, was in its original state, and even turned into an office, but it had great potential. My clients, 30-year-olds with two children, who at the time lived in a modern flat, wanted to put everything back together, tear it down and redo it to create a 100% modern space. I guided them to another choice: to preserve the properties, to enhance them, making the place more modern, functional and suitable for their lifestyle.’
the entrance
“Initially, it was the entrance to a classic Haussmannian apartment, separating, in particular, the living room and the dining room. It didn’t have any charm, but it had 15-20 m² of space that was worth using. I decided to make it a separate room, a real connection between the living room and the dining room, the kitchen. That’s why I opened the wall of the kitchen-dining room, and it is an island that plays the role of separation from the entrance. I also worked a lot on color. I voluntarily chose a powerful and dark gray that contrasts with the colors chosen for the living rooms, which suddenly seem brighter. This color also allows you to highlight the patterns without overwhelming them. When we have white, we only see them. On the other hand, it is the gray that first attracts attention here, which then moves to the moldings. »
Living room
“My clients originally wanted to turn this spacious room into a living room that combines the living room, dining room and kitchen. They wanted the current kitchen-dining room to be an office or reading room. I shook their initial ideas a bit by emphasizing their lifestyle, the fact that they have two children. It was important to me that they have a large living room to hang out in while everyone does their own thing. I won my case. a living room is just a living room. But with a double reading, made possible by a large sofa placed in the center, which delimits two zones. One is the “reception” part, the other – the library is designed as a showcase, dedicated to reading, entertainment… There you can relax, watch TV. The choice of colors in this living room was based on the one made for the dining room-kitchen. Indeed, this room had a red marble fireplace that the client hated. He wanted to remove it, but I convinced him to keep it, particularly by playing with the almond green, which subtly counterbalances the brown and showy side of the fireplace. It is from this almond green that we rejected the palette of the apartment, for example, the deep green of the library and the light gray that marks the difference between the walls and the ceiling of the living room. »
Lunch kitchen
“I wanted to put the kitchen back in the center of the apartment. In the Haussmann apartments, it is actually far away, in the back, near the service staircase. A situation completely disconnected from modern practice. Therefore, this room is open to the island entrance to delimit the space and therefore also related to the living room. The moldings, the fireplace, the beautiful original volumes have been preserved. They have a dialogue with the technical, modern part, which is also not very present. We wanted it to go away, specifically playing down the niche effect in favor of a tabletop and friendly atmosphere. »
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Office-living room
“This office, which is also a guest bedroom, was created in the old kitchen. The color work was also important here. It reflects the “multifunctional” spirit of the room, particularly the desk, which sits in a terracotta alcove between light-colored cabinets. »
Parental suite
“There was a very large bedroom with an attached bathroom, ‘in its juice.’ Nothing was architecturally coherent, as if the rooms were placed side by side without reflection. So we decided to completely change the volumes. The bed was placed towards the window. The headrest is red to emphasize the presence of the wallpaper. We have created a dressing area behind the bed. The bathroom is remodeled with a very large shower and two basins. My clients wanted it to be black and white. To satisfy them, I laid black and white mosaic tiles on the floor. The shower is completely tiled with marble tiles, the shape of which resembles terracotta tiles. »
Children’s rooms
“They are located at the back of the apartment. This space originally had three small bedrooms, which we have reconfigured into two large children’s bedrooms. They are designed to grow with them. Indeed, the situation in the apartment makes it almost a little “nest” with its bathroom, which is also renovated with two basins, which will allow a form of teenage independence. In one of the bedrooms we worked on a trunk at the level of the cupboards, and in the other we worked on a panoramic wallpaper of animals. Each has its own personality. »
Source: Le Figaro
