A PARISIAN APARTMENT OF A YOUNG ART COLLECTOR

With minimal lines and nuances of gray, the Haussmann-style apartment renovated by Sophie Dries highlight the owner’s eclectic art collection while serving as a contemporary living space

- SOPHIE DRIES

Project: Paris Apartment of a young collector, France

Interior Designer: Sophie Dries Architect, France

A space to showcase the art collection of its young owner, this Haussmann-style apartment located in the Temple area of Paris has been renovated by architect Sophie Dries. The 90 sq m space occupying an entire floor of a small building comprises one large and one smaller living room, a kitchen, a gallery, a master suite and a guest suite. The project, which combined two apartments, led architect Dries to completely rethink each space, in order to unify them into one coherent living space. Unnecessary doors were removed and access and circulation simplified, so that very little space is lost.

The Haussmann style of the apartment has been refined in order to introduce minimal lines better suited to the contemporary use of the apartment as the living space of an art collector. The Scandinavian painter Hammershoi and his reflections on nuances of gray were the main inspiration for the interior, allowing the perfect backdrop for the artworks to take center stage. The parquet flooring and the carpentry are also in tones of gray. Everything fits together to highlight the colourful works of art, among which are those of women artists like Orlan, Cindy Sherman, Linder, as well as Jean Michel Othoniel, Ryan Mc Ginley, Ren Hang. The collection of the young owner shows his passion for contemporary art, his professional field and his personal connections with the artists, combined with a love of Scandinavian and contemporary vintage design.