L’ART DE VIVRE
Parisian interior designer Stéphanie Coutas becomes a client of her own as she refashions a 19th-century townhouse into a spacious home for her family
With its ornate 19th-century townhouses, pristine wide avenues, beautifully landscaped parks and prestigious schools, Paris’ 16th arrondissement has always been one of French high society’s favourite places of residence. The district is one that interior designer and decorator Stéphanie Coutas of 1001 Maisons is more than familiar with, having worked on many plush homes in the area. It’s also where Coutas has set up home for her own family, in the private Villa Saïd gated community just off Avenue Foch, a road that has been home to the Onassis and Rothschild families. Coutas is known for her signature neoclassical and contemporary interiors that all share a common thread: clean lines combined with a neutral palette and the use
of precious woods, white marble, shagreen, Murano glass and dévoré velvet. Her own home is no different, and gets the same noexpenses-spared treatment. However, Coutas found that designing for herself doesn’t necessarily mean an easier job – in fact, it becomes a never-ending process. “Designing for myself is definitely more complicated, because I end up buying art and objects all the time so I never stop!” the designer admits.
ON ARRIVAL
One step through the front door, and her love for art is immediately evident. In the entrance hall, the eye is instantly drawn to the dazzling Sicis-designed lily glass and mirror mosaic “rug”, which is framed by smooth, black marble. It is here that Coutas has placed two of her most treasured artworks: “Keith Haring’s Subway Drawing is one of my favourite pieces – I bought it in an auction 15 years ago with my husband, along with Pincemin’s Big Tree,” says the designer. Above it all hangs the Champs-elysées chandelier from Lalique, which sets the lavish tone that pervades the four-storey home. In the formal living room, Coutas’ wideranging taste in art becomes apparent. Bas-reliefs, black-and-white photography and a digital “wall tapestry” are on show here. The video art is by Miguel Chevalier, who let Coutas have his first smaller scale piece – “his art is usually made for 10-metre walls!” shares the homeowner. She continues, “I think art pieces, when you love them, can work anywhere.”
Metallic elements also feature in this front room; they’re evident in the originally black lacquer piano, to which Coutas had a decorative painter add silver leaves, which were then scratched off. “My daughter is the only one using it, but [hearing her play] makes my day!” Coutas shares proudly.
BEYOND THE FRAME
Upstairs on the first floor is the master suite, where Coutas finds herself relaxing the most. This level comprises the spacious master bedroom, a dressing room that’s concealed behind intricate mother-of-pearl panels on the landing, his and hers bathrooms, the latter of which is covered head-to-toe in Calacatta Oro marble by Les Marbreries de la Seine, and a dark, masculine study for Coutas’ husband. The second floor is the kids’ territory. The daughter’s room is unashamedly girly with pink lighting and faux fur bed covers and cushions, with an eccentric side, thanks to
the Orlinsky crocodile sculpture. “My 18-yearold daughter gave me carte blanche; all she asked for was a round bed,” says Coutas. Her 10-year-old son, on the other hand, had a precise idea of what he wanted his bedroom to look like. His mother followed his themes of Mario Kart and skulls, and somehow made it all come together.
EACH TO OWN
What works best is that everybody has their independence on each floor, yet there’s room for the family to meet on every level. The favourite level is perhaps the basement, what Coutas calls “the playground of the house” with its home cinema featuring an LED “starlit sky” and vibrating sofas, wine cellar, hamam, massage room, gym, pool and hot tub. Coutas says, “My home, like all homes should be, is a place to relax and enjoy your loved ones. But I feel you must be proud of opening your doors to enjoy parties – that’s what we do anyway!”