After nearly a century without renovation, Pierre Lacroix restores the original spirit of this Paris apartment for a lawyer in his sixties.
When a couple in their sixties acquired a historic apartment in the heart of Paris that hadn’t been touched in a century, they knew exactly who to call to bring it back to life. “I had already worked with them in a previous apartment, which was completely different,” French interior designer Pierre Lacroix says. “When they purchased this new home, something much more personal for them, they got back in touch.”
With a shared understanding of each other’s process, they quickly aligned on the intention: to honour the apartment’s history while ensuring it still felt current and in tune with the way they live today.
Set within an 18th-century heritage building in Paris’s Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighbourhood—an area known for its literary cafés and artistic heritage—the apartment had remained in the same family for generations. For Lacroix, this sense of continuity became a guiding force. “We even discovered old documents hidden within the walls,” he recalls, “tangible traces of the past.”
Several original features were preserved and integrated into the updated interiors, including arched doorways, marble elements in Green Alpine, Portoro and Breccia Capraia, and finely crafted woodwork. These were paired with more contemporary brushed brass and stainless steel finishes, creating a measured dialogue between old and new. The doors, framed with plaster and wood transoms, form a visual thread throughout, grounding the interiors in their architectural origins while supporting the home’s renewed rhythm and flow.
The kitchen was moved to the centre of the apartment, with appliances concealed behind decorative cabinetry. Brushed brass, stainless steel, vintage pine-stained stools and an Italian brass chandelier complete the space.
The dining room features custom silk-covered screen doors for storage, alongside a vintage dining set.
Craftsmanship plays a quiet but deliberate role. A local metalworker was commissioned to fabricate the kitchen’s metallic elements, while custom silk-covered joinery conceals storage and softens transitions. In the master bedroom, a door to the bathroom is discreetly integrated into the headboard, an unexpected yet pragmatic gesture that respects both form and function.
One of the more poetic interventions lies near the kitchen, where a rectangular arch was subtly reworked using mouldings salvaged from a former fireplace mirror. Rather than impose a new identity, Lacroix focused on clarifying what was already there, allowing the space to feel intentional and grounded once again.
For Lacroix, the apartment reflects a broader design philosophy rooted in respect for place. “I always try to start with the existing space—its architecture, its history—and build on that, rather than erase it,” he says. “Here, we enhanced what was already present and introduced contemporary elements that feel honest and timeless.”
In this sense, the apartment doesn’t announce its transformation. Instead, it reveals itself slowly—a home shaped by continuity and care.
The living room centres around the studio’s own Timeless sofa, accompanied by Berga Mobler armchairs, Roger Capron Shogun coffee tables and a Murano glass chandelier.
Pictured: a Green Alpine marble fireplace.
