BLUES BROTHERS

In the historic Parisian district of Le Marais, design duo emil humbert and Christophe Poyet have transformed a former watchmaker’s workshop into a seriously chic family home

A remarkable restoration project in the heart of the historic Le Marais district in Paris

In the heart of Le Marais, the buzzing, vibrant neighbourhood of Paris full of antique dealers and vintage stores, emil humbert and christophe Poyet, the Franco-monégasque design duo behind the studio humbert & Poyet, have undertaken the brilliant redesign of a 250-square-metre duplex for a young family of creatives. The building in question: a seventeenth-century townhouse that, 200 years later, had been converted into a watchmaking workshop before ultimately being abandoned. ‘We redesigned everything,’ say emil and christophe. ‘From floor to ceiling, we had to rethink all the elements. We wanted the interiors to have a certain patina, rich materiality and the sensation of flowing space. We wanted it to not only inspire, but to tell a story.’

For the layout of the rooms, they followed a classical scheme. The ground floor houses the common areas: living and dining rooms, a kitchen and bathroom, which follow each other in an enfilade. The bedrooms and bathrooms are on the first floor.

For emil and christophe to truly execute their vision, they opted to design most of the furniture pieces themselves, including the larger-than-life sapphire blue sofa, the metallic hanging light in the stairwell, and the bathroom and kitchen

shelves, mirrors and cabinets. They also reintroduced wall mouldings and custom wood-and-brass doors as well as finishes in noble materials throughout, such as arabescato marble. ‘We are especially inspired by the aesthetics of the Modernist Movement, art deco and Memphis group, which we then juxtaposed with classic furniture pieces,’ say emil and christophe. These elements are everpresent in the home, not only in terms of design but also in the consideration of colour. The profusion of blues and yellows would no doubt have gained the approval of ettore sottsass. ‘our interiors are a statement in themselves,’ they say. ‘strong, and at the same time, refined.’ art was another key element. They worked with the owners’ previous collection and adapted design proposal, such as günther Förg’s work that fills the dining room.

For emil and christophe, the intention was to create a family home that would be elegant and timeless, but still be functional and cosy. ‘It is a relaxed and fun space, where art and design are part of the life study of its inhabitants,’ they say. ‘We were inspired both by our own sensibility, as well as the home’s rich history and its location.’ It appears the inspiration certainly paid off. Humbert & Poyet humbertpoyet.com

‘We wanted the interiors to have a certain patina, rich materiality and the sensation of flowing space’ EMIL HUMBERT AND CHRISTOPHE POYET

‘IT IS A RELAXED AND FUN SPACE, WHERE ART AND DESIGN ARE PART OF THE LIFE STUDY OF ITS INHABITANTS’

EMIL HUMBERT AND CHRISTOPHE POYET

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT a le corbusier ‘lc1’ chair and a jean prouvé console in the terrazzofloor hall; the humbert & poyet designed ‘grand theodore’ sofa and gino sarfatti sconces in the living room; artwork by aaron young in the master bedroom; designers christophe poyet and emil humbert PREVIOUS PAGE in the living room, the fireplace and marble-andbrass coffee tables were designed by humbert & poyet

in the kitchen, a humbert & poyet ‘asterios’ ceiling lamp hangs above the arabescato marble island OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP-DOWN a brass shower and arabescato marble sinks in the bathroom; in the master bedroom hangs a brass pendant light from magic circus

a pierre paulin ‘mushroom’ armchair, eero saarinen ‘tulip’ table and léon wuidar artwork in one of the children’s rooms

LE CORBUSIER, PIERRE JEANNERET AND CHARLOTTE PERRIAND FOR CASSINA ‘LC4’ CHAISE LONGUE IN GRAPHITE, R96 450, TRUE DESIGN VANESSA MITRANI ‘FAIRYTALE’ VASE, R12 740, ROCHE BOBOIS TOM DIXON ‘PLANE’ WALL LAMP, R10 400, CASARREDO

DULUX PAINT IN 77BB 07/344, FROM R180, BUILDERS WAREHOUSE

UNTITLED BY GÜNTHER FÖRG, 2007, ACRYLIC AND OIL ON CANVAS, 200X240CM, POR, ALMINE RECH GALLERY VITRA ‘CONE’ CHAIR, R15 670, CRÉMA DESIGN ‘TRACTOR’ STOOL, POR, BASSAMFELLOWS

MARMI ‘GRIGIO’ TERRAZZO TECH SLAB, FROM R799, WOMAG