A young, worldly couple moves into a classic Haussmannian building near Paris's ChampsÉlysées and is faced with a choice: stay true to its 19th-century character, leaning into the high ceilings, marble mantels, and gracious rooms, or throw caution to the wind. One glance at its color-saturated rooms and it is evident which route this couple chose.
It was Julien Sebban, the Paris-born founder of the four-year-old firm Uchronia, who helped the homeowners to demolish their comfort zone. Sebban, who was based in London for six years to study architecture, has quickly made a name for himself with spaces that tap into the zeitgeist with abandon. Most notable may be the restaurant Forest, opened last year at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, and before that, Créatures, a pop-up eatery atop the Galeries Lafayette that's since become a seasonal staple of the city's dining and social scenes.
The firm's name is itself a neologism taken from Uchronie, the title of a book written by 19th-century French philosopher Charles Renouvier, referring to a hypothetical time period of our world. Sebban's multidisciplinary collective, then, is something of an anachronism, straddling our current moment and some whimsical, acid-tinged version of it hovering just beyond the scope of our peripheral vision.
Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av Elle Decor US.
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Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av Elle Decor US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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MORE, PLEASE
Eric Hughes joins forces with Standard Architecture to transform two neighboring homes into a sprawling family compound.
SIZED TO FIT
Designer Nannette Brown reimagines a new-build apartment with unexpected depth, character, and texture.
Play It Cool
In balmy Texas, Ashe Leandro brings urbane style and a chill vibe to a home in a historic district.
Mic Drop
For former talk radio star Tom Joyner, Studio Roda creates an oceanfront pleasure pad with out-of-sight views and disco-era glamour.
EYE IN THE SKY
How do you cozy up a Manhattan high-rise? Call designers Hendricks Churchill.
THE JOY OF KØKKEN
In Brooklyn, a writer transforms her kitchen into a space of warmth and connection, blending personal memories with Scandinavian design.
CURTAIN RAISER
ELLE DECOR partners with designers Christine and John Gachot to refresh an iconic lounge at a New York institution, the Metropolitan Opera House.
The Empire Strikes Back - A 19th-century gem in Cambridge, Massachusetts, gets a tour-de-force restoration thanks to Frances Merrill of Reath Design.
Is it possible to simultaneously go back in time and leap forward? This was the challenge a couple set for themselves upon purchasing a salmon-pink 1869 house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, not far from Longfellow House, the National Historic Site that served as George Washington's headquarters during the revolution. We loved all the beautiful old details of this house, the homeowner says.
Just Like That, But Cheaper. -One writer tried to replicate a classic ELLE DECOR interior in his apartment. Could he do it for $500?
It was all about the green curtains. In 2008, to my great surprise, I was offered a ninemonth fellowship based in New York City. I had lived there twice before, both times unsuccessfully, meaning I had failed to create any kind of significant social life, and so this was a chance not only to do research for my new novel, but also an opportunity to get things right. I swore I wouldn't let the city break me a third time.
And How! - Decorator Nick Olsen transforms a Sag Harbor home into a Hamptons retreat with an irreverent humor.
If you must go to the Hamptons, however-because it is devilishly good fun, after all-you may notice an apparently modest, low-slung cottage on Sag Harbor's Main Street and think, with a comfortable sort of feeling, Now that is how a house should look. Nestled amid the Botox bars, helipads, and club-staurants, it could almost set the sordid world aright both a rebuke and a solution to the chaos that surrounds it. A real home.