Sara in Paris

For her feminine French pied-à-terre, designer Sara Story leans into the fun of decorating just for herself

- TEXT BY CHANTEL TATTOLI PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHIEU SALVAING STYLING BY SARAH DE BEAUMONT

WHEN IT CAME TO Paris renovations, Sara Story had heard all the horror stories and knew she would have to say “Non, merci” to any place requiring construction.

“I didn’t want to have to do a lot of work,” she admits. Instead, the Texan designer, who is now based in New York City, bought a two-bedroom, third-floor pied-à-terre on the Left Bank that did not need any demo: The kitchen was ready, the place had archetypal parquet floors—a design element she regarded as essential—and it had good light. Story, whose work brings her to the French capital a few times a year, had long wanted a foothold in the city. And finding such a perfect property allowed her to skip the messy stage and get “right to the good part,” the AD100 talent says with a laugh.

“It was fun to create a very Parisian apartment, and I went a little more decorative here than I sometimes do in the States,” Story explains. “I wanted it to be very layered, more textured—but not fancy.”