I LIVE HERE

Once part of a silk manufacturing business, this stylish, centuries-old apartment wears its unique history proudly, while adapted by its owners for modern living and design.

Visit a stylish, centuries-old apartment.

Margaux Lally has an undying attachment to this Lyon apartment, in which she has lived since the age of 12 – first with her parents and two sisters, today with her partner Luc Berger and their baby daughter, Jill. “It would be very difficult for me to leave here,” she admits. “I’ve been in lots of other apartments in the city, but have never seen anything to rival it.”

The 200m2 apartment is located in what is said to be the oldest building in the city’s 6th arrondissement. The ground-level entrance is surrounded by a stone arch that was originally part of a 16th-century chapel. The courtyard, meanwhile, has echoes of Italy with loggias that wrap their way around it. At around the turn of the last century, the flat housed a silk manufacturer. “The space’s double height was conducive to installing looms and the building’s wide staircase allowed for large bolts of fabric to be carried down to street level,” explains Luc.

The couple decided to keep the mezzanine in place, but completely gutted the lower level with the aim of celebrating its structural columns and beams. They also placed a new staircase at its centre and painted it pink in homage to the iconic 20thcentury Italian designer, Ettore Sottsass. It is only one of the Italian touches that were added in order to bring the spirit of the building’s courtyard inside. Another is black-and

“WE’RE ALWAYS AIMING TO CREATE A DIALOGUE BETWEEN DIFFERENT OBJECTS.”

LUC BERGER

white speckled terrazzo specified for the floor in both the entry hall and kitchen. “When we chose it four years ago, we couldn’t find any suppliers in France,” recalls Margaux. “We had to go directly to Italy to buy it. Since, it’s become tremendously fashionable.”

As for the furnishings, they came together over a longer period of time. Each decorative element was chosen with great precision. “Nothing is gratuitous,” insists Luc. “We’re always aiming to create a dialogue between different objects.” Margaux was eager to integrate several pieces of 19thcentury furniture she inherited from her grandparents, including the chairs in the kitchen and the wardrobe in the main bedroom. Both also wanted items designed locally, such as the sculptural burnt-wood chairs by Vincent Vincent and the chest of drawers in the entry hall wrapped in rope by Véronique de Soultrait.

As in each of their projects, a special place was devoted to French craftsmanship. The Ateliers Jouffre upholstered the sofa in the sitting room, its base made with wooden beams salvaged throughout the apartment’s renovation.

Elsewhere are a pair of 1970s slipper chairs covered in a fabric created by the New York-based textile designer Tara Chapas, and a handwoven rug by Toyine Sellers. “These crafts bring inimitable vibrations and nuances to an interior,” enthuses Margaux. “That quest for subtlety is at the very heart of our work.”

“THESE CRAFTS BRING INIMITABLE VIBRATIONS AND NUANCES TO AN INTERIOR.”

MARGAUX LALLY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHAN JULLIARD

Opposite page: The living room entrance features a handmade rug by Toyine Sellers, a sheet metal artwork by Antonine de Saint Pierre and a plant holder by Willy Guhl. This page: In the living room, the couple have brought together an Iranian kilim rug, a Circle Chair by Hans Wegner, screenprints by Cleon Peterson, Touch occasional tables by Dmitri Bähler, a vintage 1950s coffee table and reupholstered 1970s slipper chairs.

Opposite page, clockwise from top: The dining table with a vase designed by Picasso; Living room nook; The terrazzo kitchen. This page: The entry hall features a painting by Jean-Noël Bachès.

This page, clockwise from top: Bed in master bedroom is an heirloom from Margaux’s family; Master bathroom boasts a custom vanity; Margaux’s grandparents gifted her this 19th-century wardrobe. Opposite page, clockwise from top: The study features pastel drawings by Patrick Guidot; A Willy Gruhl chair sits in the walkway; The living room sofa is designed by Lally and Berger, with paintings by Patrick Guidot.