Between the palace and the sky

French essence, touches of Berlin and Vienna. Art Déco and Bauhaus. Facing the heart of Paris

The architects Yann Le Coadic and Alessandro Scotto founded their Paris-based architecture firm in 2001, at a very young age. The duo have created boutiques for fashion brands like Nina Ricci, Rochas, Boucheron and Aurélie Bidermann, as well as many unusual projects, like this apartment designed for Carlos Couturier, the Mexican founder of the boutique hotel chain Grupo Habita.

The apartment faces south, receiving abundant natural light. When the architects first arrived they found a space of 140 sqm with high ceilings. Extensive work had to be done, but with restraint: «We realized that everything had to be revised, but the character of the building had to be conserved: floors, stuccowork, fireplaces». The basic idea was to create an elegant, warm, comfortable house, in keeping with contemporary standards.

The tone is set right from the understated but elegant entrance, with a simple antique chandelier. Passing through a glass door, one arrives in a studio that is also a dining room: the desktop opens to double its surface, revealing a bright green finish inside that blends with the darker hue of the walls, occupied by a large cabinet-showcase. To the right, the kitchen has been completely redesigned, and is brightened by a large skylight. On the left stands the living area with gris de Paris walls, linking up with the zinc rooftops of the city: this is the center of the flat. The bedroom zone has a maze of corridors leading to comfortable, cozy personal spaces. The rooms are full of exquisite, quietly refined details: hidden doors, wardrobes, facing materials. Everything has been arranged with a profound sense of balance, to create a natural, unconventional mood of elegance.