INTERIOR MOTIVES
LET YOUR SPACE TELL YOUR STORY WITH OUR DECORATING ISSUE
裝飾展現個性的空間
French decorator Jean-Louis Deniot’s
projects are often imbued with a sense of grandeur. In Delhi, he designed a ground-up house that resembles a miniature Versailles. In New York, he worked on a duplex in Chelsea with sweeping views of the city and a capacious living room with ceilings that stretch to 6.5 metres in height. This sense of magnificence has led one of his collaborators to nickname him "Doctor Palace". The jocular moniker is particularly fitting for one of his latest commissions – a 5,400sqft Parisian pied- à-terre for a Middle Eastern princess. "She’s in her mid-20s and has quite funky way of dressing," explains Jean-Louis. "She’s very much got her finger on the pulse."
The apartment is located on the first floor of a stately late 19th-century building on one of the French capital’s most select avenues; its interior had retained the typical Haussmannian style of that period. "You simply can’t content yourself with something so mundane for a princess," says Jean-Louis. "For people of her rank, you have to create a kind of statement. There has to be a certain allure, a dose of opulence and a touch of theatricality." The princess initially imagined
Jean-Louis Deniot
法國裝飾師 的項目常混入一絲顯赫華麗。他在德里設計過媲美迷你凡爾賽的房子，也在紐約處理過切爾西坐擁無敵城市
6.5景色、開揚客廳樓底達 米高的雙層屋。這點過人之處為他從合作夥伴群中贏得「皇宮醫生」的稱號。這個風趣綽號特別適用於他近期的項目5,400之一——為中東公主而設的 平方呎巴黎家Jean-Louis 20居。 解釋：「她 多歲，衣著風格有趣特別，對很多事也明白理解。」
19
單位位於法國巴黎最精選街道之一的 世紀末豪華大樓一樓，室內裝潢保留著該時期的典型奧斯曼風格。「面對公主，實在不能遞交一些
Jean-Louis平平無奇之作。」 續說：「對她那種階層的人來說，你定要打造具焦點的作品，帶點魅力、豪華和戲劇性元素。」公主原本想走更正規的方向。「跟很多中東人一樣，她以為法式風Jean-Louis格等如極其傳統。」 回想：「我跟她
25建釋：『我們不會為只有 歲的你打造一間像是
60
多歲老人住的房子。』以經典靈感設計空間也可混入另類風格與趣味。」
“For people of her rank, you have to create a kind of statement . There has to be a certain allure, a dose of opulence and a touch of theatrica lity”
something even more formal. "Like many people in the Middle East, she equated French style with something extremely traditional," recalls JeanLouis. "I explained to her, 'We’re not going to create an apartment for someone 60-plus when you’re only 25.' There’s a way of designing a space with a classical inspiration, but then giving it a twist."
Jean-Louis achieved this by opting for an architectural framework largely inspired by the 18th century. He linked the rooms at the front by creating openings along the windows – they had previously been connected by double doors in the middle of the walls. He also installed marble flooring and commissioned trompe-l’oeil painters to adorn the walls with ersatz stone motifs. He likens the one in the horseshoe-shaped breakfast room to nougat and chose a faux onyx pattern for the gallery. The concept for the entrance hall, meanwhile, was to make it look as if it had been carved from a single block of Carrara marble.
In contrast, other elements add a striking modernity. One is the multitude of geometric patterns. The walls of the dining room, for instance, have been funkily clad in a striped Osborne & Little wallpaper, cut up into small pieces and then hung at a range of different angles. Another idiosyncrasy for a royal residence
為打造如此效果， Jean-Louis透過啟發自18世紀的建築框架加以創造。他沿著窗戶創製開放式元素，連接前方房間——原本透過牆中心的雙扇門作連繫。他也安裝了大理石地板，並委託錯視畫派油畫家以代用石調子裝飾牆身。他把馬蹄形的早餐區比喻成牛軋糖，並為藝廊區挑選人造縞瑪瑙圖紋。門廳概念就是營造出好像以一單件Carrara大理石雕刻而成的外形。其他元素則混入矚目的現代情懷。其中一種方案就是應用大量圖案花紋。以飯廳的牆身為例，便覆上有趣的Osborne & Little條紋牆紙。為皇室人員打造府邸的特點之一，就是不設服務房間。Jean-Louis打造出奪目出眾的廚房，並加上圖紋花崗石和石英岩地板，以及古董鏡面門。他表示：「在這種情況下，廚房往往被忽略，畢竟多由僱員準備食物。但我的客人喜愛下廚，希望擁有一個能休息放鬆、和朋友烹調、讓大廚到臨教學的空間。」
is the fact that there are no service quarters. Instead, Jean-Louis conjured up a strikingly elegant kitchen with a graphic granite and quartzite floor, and antique mirrored doors. "In such circumstances, kitchens are normally neglected, design-wise, because they’re only occupied by staff," he relays. "But my client loves cooking and wanted a great space where she could hang out, whip up meals with friends and invite chefs to give lessons."
The furnishings, meanwhile, steer clear of anything too traditional. Instead, there are contemporary creations like the jaw-dropping Hervé Van Der Straeten chandeliers, as well as numerous custom pieces. Examples of the latter include the obelisk-shaped bookcases in the sitting room and the majestic black opaline-topped dining table. The remainder of the items are largely 20th-century vintage. Among them are a pair of Billy Haines slipper chairs, Tommi Parzinger floor lamps, a Willy Daro coffee table and Jean-Louis’ favourite – a faceted desk that looks as if it’s been fashioned from a huge chunk of gold. "I found it amusing because there are so many clichés about people from the Middle East loving gold," he says. "But I’d actually love to find another one for myself."
與此同時，裝飾避用過於傳統的選擇。當代創作包括叫人驚艷的Hervé Van Der Straeten吊燈，以及數件特製作品。後者例子有客廳方尖塔形的書架，和黑色貓眼石面餐桌。其他作品大多數是20世紀古董。當中有Billy Haines單椅、Tommi Parzinger座地燈、Willy Daro咖啡茶几和Jean-Louis最喜愛的多刻面書桌，看來就好像以一大塊黃金雕塑而成。「我覺得有趣的地方是很多人以為中東人都喜愛黃金。」他說：「實情是我自己對之也難以抗拒！」