After graduating from architecture school, Marine Bonnefoy decided it was time to get her hands dirty. “My studies were very intellectually oriented and had no link to actual construction,” she says. “By the end of them, I hadn’t even been taught what holds up a wall.” To find out, she spent a year working for a building firm. “I demolished facades with a pneumatic drill, learnt plastering, wiring and plumbing, and made concrete. It was fantastic!” she says.
That kind of pragmatic approach has certainly stood her in good stead. Still in her early 30s, she has three times been named on the French edition of Architectural Digest magazine’s list of the top 100 decorators in the world. She recently completed a 95sqm apartment in Paris’s elegant Palais Royal area, is currently building houses from the ground up in both Marseille and Bordeaux, and is about to embark upon the renovation and extension of a seaside property in Brittany. With each project, her approach is the same. “I don’t do anything straight off,” she says. “I go about my daily life and it matures in my mind. I think about it when I’m cooking, walking and shopping, and only start drawing about three weeks later.”
This story is from the May 2020 edition of Belle Magazine Australia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 2020 edition of Belle Magazine Australia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The wow factory
The sisters steering Zuster furniture brand put a creative spin on their own industrial zone.
OPEN INVITE
This handsome home in the NSW Southern Highlands welcomes within its walls both generous rural views and a steady flow of guests.
DUAL ACCENTS
American heritage style meets Spanish mission design in this harbourside Sydney home.
Grand vision
It can be easy being green or it is for this house -that cleverly combines lavish spaces and timeless style, while also being kind to the planet.
POWER AND GLORY
An angular concrete structure packs a punch in a new build on an elevated site in Sydney while its interior design offers a softly layered and textured counterpoint.
COLOUR BURST
A joyful exuberance permeates this heritage home reinvented by interior designer Andrew Parr with zesty hues, lively contemporary art and iconic furniture.
LA VIE EN ROSE
Poised above Pittwater in Sydney's north, this weekender is alluringly relaxed - and offers holiday fun for family and friends.
COOL, CALM COLLECTIVE
An ever-changing array of covetable antiques, objets d'art and unique pieces ensure the interiors of this beautiful store has a collected feel and sense of permanence.
BOLD CHOICE
Architect and trailblazer Piero Gesualdi's Melbourne emporium, Mondopiero, is a celebration of timeless design and craftmanship, with a sprinkling of decorative flair.
HIGHER CALLING
In a world that is typically more about me, me, me, quietly luxurious day spa Venustus keeps thriving three decades on with a true commitment to inspired client service.