A PARISIAN PIED-A-TERRE

When not in Beirut, Lebanese interior designer Claude Missir spends time with family in this very personal, modernist haven in the heart of the French capital.

- Karine Monie

Says Lebanese interior designer Claude Missir: “The purpose is not to change the soul of the space I am working on. I merely attempt to preserve and enhance the outstanding spirit of timeless architecture and interiors.”

Missir stayed true to this commitment in his Parisian pied-a-terre located on the ultra-chic Avenue Montaigne, in the 8th arrondissement. Nestled in a beautiful Haussmann-style building, the 145 sq m apartment has everything one could dream of in Paris. Charm and history pervade the interior spaces, while culture and luxury are immediately accessible outside, with the Champs-Elysees within easy reach.

Missir spends much of his time in Beirut, where he founded his eponymous studio in 1998, but also enjoys being in Paris with his wife and children, especially during weekends and holidays, as well as for some business trips.

As the interior designer recalls, it was far from easy to find the perfect place. “We searched and viewed over 100 premises all around town,” he says. What made him fall in love with this particular one? “The sun orientation; the way natural light propagates across the entire space, and the fact that the apartment is located in a corner, on the fourth floor, which is a rarity in this particular arrondissement.”