Unexpected Combinations Of Art And Furniture

This apartment embodies the precision of Rodolphe Parente’s architectural approach and his unexpected combinations of art and furniture

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French interior designer Rodolphe Parente has very clear ideas of what constitutes elegance. “It’s a skilful mix of grace, attitude and irreverence, which is not linked to the notion of good taste,” he asserts. In his own work, he always likes to shake things up a little. “I try to incorporate something a little different, an unusual element that provokes dialogue,” he continues.

This apartment, which acts as a pied-à-terre for a French couple based in Singapore, is a perfect case in point. It is located in a building dating from 1910 in what is known as the Triangle d’Or, a highly sought-after part of Paris’s 8th arrondissement, bordered by the three stylish avenues: Montaigne, George V and the Champs-Elysées. The space previously housed the offices of a law firm, who had fitted it out with a series of large rooms and brightred walls.

NEW BEGINNING

Parente completely reworked the layout, placing a luxurious master suite at its heart and a family room and two other bedrooms at the rear, accessed via a circular antechamber. “We realised we needed a breathing space and opted for a round form to make it more dynamic and enveloping,” he states.