Secluded sanctuary

Behind a garage door on a small Parisian street lies this unexpected world of abundant greenery, humble materials and rustic charm

Behind a garage door on a Parisian street lies this unexpected world of adundant plants, humble materials and rustic charm

There is always a moment of joy to be found in stumbling upon a secret garden. You feel that tremor of excitement when you step through the anonymous garage door in the 11th arondissement of Paris that leads to this artfully crumbling former carriage house. Belonging to painter and ceramicist Ema Pradère and her partner Frédéric Winkler, one of the founders of the lighting design company DCW Éditions, the building has a greenhouse-like entranceway full of ferns, vines and field maple plants. Industrial-style tables and chairs offer a quiet spot to sit and enjoy the greenery. ‘It’s an informal space,’ says Ema, ‘where people pass and share confidences.’

The unusual thing about this inner-city property is that it has the spirit of a country house. Removing the smooth plaster on the walls and restoring the original stonework in the downstairs rooms revealed texture and hidden rustic features. Lighting, meanwhile, is never harsh. Instead, gentle pools of illumination have been created by placing the lights three quarters of the way up the walls.

Ema says that she feels as if the house ‘resonates with the mystery of life’, from the vibrancy of the many houseplants to the tactile qualities of the natural materials that can be found in every room. She is drawn to ceramics because they are ‘accessible and humble’ – two words that also sum up her approach to design. For, despite this being a three-bedroom house in one of the grandest of European cities, there’s a gentle modesty to this home, apparent in the roughhewn walls and simple, beautifully crafted furnishings. Ema is an admirer of the ancient Japanese art of kintsugi – repairing broken pottery using gold, in a way that transforms imperfections into artistic details – and you can see its sentiments at play here. By carefully restoring this building’s rough bones, she has revealed its true charms. dcw-editions. fr

THERE’S A GENTLE MODESTY TO THIS HOME, APPARENT IN THE ROUGHHEWN WALLS AND SIMPLE FURNITURE

Courtyard The conservatory-like entrance to this former carriage house is filled with ferns and other vibrant plants. The wall light is a new edition of the ‘Lampe Gras’, designed by Bernard-albin Gras in 1921 and now recommissioned by homeowner...

Kitchen The custom-built plywood kitchen has open shelving filled with Ema’s pottery and sculptures, all lit by ‘In The Tube’ wall lights from DCW Éditions Courtyard An industrialstyle table and chair provide a spot to relax amid the flourishing greenery