French Connection

Designer Jessica Helgerson taps into her cross-cultural upbringing to create a Parisian pied-à-terre that celebrates the beauty and spirit of the 14th arrondissement

- MAYER RUS

Jessica Helgerson’s aesthetic sensibility is rooted in two distinct cultures. Born to an American father and a French mother, the Portland, Oregon–based interior designer grew up spending the school year in Santa Barbara and summering in Lyon, equally immersed in California surf culture and French savoir faire. Helgerson’s dual citizenship is unambiguously reflected in the two lighting collections she has created for Roll & Hill: One, Del Playa, is named for her SoCal street, while the other, Rue Sala, refers to her mother’s childhood address in the French countryside. Now, both sides of the creative coin find eloquent expression in the apartment that Helgerson has designed for herself and her family in Paris.

Helgerson’s European homecoming kicked off three years ago, when she lived with her daughter in the City of Light during her semester abroad. Paris’s siren call could not be denied.