Hooked On Classic

- Ian Phillips

French interior designer Jean-Louis Deniot is keen not to repeat himself. ‘I strive not to do the same thing over and over,’ he says. ‘The problem is that clients often insist on limiting themselves to what they’ve seen before.’ This project, however, presented him with an opportunity to do something different. It is certainly quite atypical for Deniot. Most of the apartments he has previously decorated in the French capital have been in upscale neighbourhoods, while this one is located on a busy boulevard in the gritty 10th arrondissement, not far from the Gare de l’Est.

The main reason Deniot was attracted to the project was the client, a 38-year-old American who has been working as a computer programmer since the age of 14 and found himself newly wealthy thanks to his involvement with a hugely successful dot.com company. ‘He’s really laid back and absolutely adorable,’ says Deniot. ‘He’s not only really up to date with new technologies, but also very knowledgeable about the classics.’ Indeed, he took two years off to study Ancient Greek literature at New York’s Columbia University.

The homeowner is also a firm Francophile. ‘I just love Paris,’ he gushes. Among the things he appreciates are the city’s transport system, its ‘super-mild’ weather and the plethora of food stores. He also likes the ethnic diversity of his new neighbourhood. ‘You have old Turkish men sitting next to these young Parisian hipsters in cafés,’ he says. ‘It’s really cool.’