SET THE TONE

By mixing shades, colour connoisseur and interior designer Albane Collon turned a classic Parisian apartment into a bold, exciting home

- JO LEEVERS

LIVING AREA

'White walls won't magically make a room bigger, yet using colour can add character,' says Albane.

Vintage chairs in Maquis fabric in Agave, £188.10m, Lelièvre. Incarnadine estate emulsion, £52 for 2.5ltr, Farrow & Ball, is a similar wall colour. Try Spectrum rug, £398, Rug Vista

DINING AREA

A vintage table and chairs bring a contemporary edge to the room's traditional architecture.

Tulip table and chairs, around £13,000, Pamono. For a similar wall colour, try Babouche estate emulsion, £52 for 2.5ltr, Farrow & Ball

HOME TRUTHS

THE PROPERTY  An apartment in a 19th-century building

LOCATION Paris

ROOMS Kitchen-diner/living area, utility room, three bedrooms (two en suite), bathroom

MOVED IN 2019

PREVIOUS PROPERTY 'The owners were living in an artist's studio before moving to this apartment,' says Albane.

When Albane Collon’s clients commissioned her to redesign their apartment in Paris, she encouraged them to look beyond their comfort zone. ‘The owners had given me carte blanche, so I took the opportunity to challenge them,’ says Albane, who runs interior design company 131 Malesherbes (131m.fr). ‘Left to their own devices, they would have gone for white walls with a few touches of navy blue, but in my opinion that was rather deja vu. I knew that using colour would make the space far more interesting, so I decided to go for a warmer, more painterly palette.’