CREATIVE WONDERLAND

Artist Nicolas Lefebvre invites HELLO! readers into the light and spacious Parisian apartment he shares with his daughter, Anahi

- ANA FERNANDEZ DE CORDOBA CENDRA

Parisian artist Nicolas Lefebvre’s apartment on the banks of the Seine would be a dream home for anyone with his vocation. High up in a charming 19th-century building close to the Île Saint-Louis, spacious and south-facing, it simply invites creativity. But for Nicolas, most inspiring of all is the company there of his beloved daughter.

When choosing a home for himself and 15-year-old Anahi, his first thought was for their family life. And here, it can run as smoothly as the river itself, because everything is to hand. Nicolas’s studio is downstairs in the courtyard, while Anahi’s school is on the same street. “We’ve been here for five years now, and have loved every minute,” he says.

If the apartment is a wonderful base for the pair, it also bears witness to their love of travel. “We enjoy discovering the world together,” Nicolas says. His sculptures, created using objects drawn from diverse cultures and times, set the tone for an interior in which Egyptian amulets grace the marble fireplace and African tribal art is reflected in the antique mirrors.

“My work is deeply rooted in humanity, nourished by the places that shape us and the bonds that unite us,” he says.

Nicolas, we’re in the heart of the city here, yet nature doesn't feel far away...

“That's because we're right at the edge of the river, with great views from the balconies, and because the apartment faces south, it receives wonderful light all day long.”