The kitchen features matte lacquered wood and stainless-steel furnishings with organic, modern-shaped detailing, including solid oak handles. The countertop holds an integrated vase to routinely encourage fresh florals into the functional space. A vintage bronze chandelier by Léon Artus reaches over the Coastal Style raw concrete breakfast table with a custom stainless-steel lampshade.
Architect Jules Brisson’s ‘Lived-in Studio’ channels light; a chiaroscuro shaped by the 1670s Parisian apartment’s irregular attic ceilings that prompted a bespoke approach.
Two years ago, Jules Brisson Architecture founder, Jules Brisson and architect and partner Laurent walked into a weary, attic apartment that had not been renovated in over sixty years. Sundials etched by natural light and intriguing ceiling configurations, captivated them instantly. Yet these tempting features also formed the very constraints that sparked a testing ground within Lived-in Studio’s distinct design.
Adjacent Place des Vosges in Paris’ Marais district, the 1670s apartment occupies the building’s uppermost floor and was once owned by a painter—who, presumedly also savoured its quality light. Now home to the two architects and their son, the eight-month renovation sought to “create a contemporary home, retaining the soul of the original space,” Brisson explains.
The L-shaped layout unfolds from the unusual ceiling volumes that inform the circulation. Entering near the junction of the L, the home weaves cosier realms comprising two bedrooms, a bathroom and kitchen, while the reverent, high-ceilinged living and dining spaces engage the other wing. Brisson highlights, “these open volumes encourage movement, exchange and flexibility while more intimate areas provide retreat.”
An artwork by Robert-Jean Fabre of reversed leather marquetry colourfully backdrops the Tulip dining table and chairs by Eero Saarinen, with chairs re-upholstered in Missoni fabric handed down by Lustigman’s grandparents. A custom-designed stainless-steel and glass bookcase softly floats into the ceiling. A Sanaa tea set for Alessi sits below the fluid Lyfa Turbo pendant lamp by Louis Weisdorf. To the right a vintage Maison Regain bar in raw wood hosts collected objects.
Although Brisson does not work at home, designing it offered a shift from his usual client-based process, allowing he and Lustigman to, “let the project evolve more organically, experimenting directly on site and adapting our choices as we discovered the volumes, light and existing materials.” This conversation within the space sees fingerprints of the home’s history, such as numbers etched into the living room’s original oak beams, introduced to more modern materials including rubber flooring.
Unique material layering adds distinct personality to each room. Patinated Okoumé wood is juxtaposed against brushed, painted metal and ceramic tiling. Marble lines the bathroom with panelling reaching out as a hallway feature. Collectively, these materials bridge a homely sensibility with that of an inspired artistic bottega.
The uneven roof necessitated craftsmanship and a mindset that delivered a trickle down of customised details. Shelving creeps high into the living room ceiling alcove, lifting the gaze, while bespoke door handles of bamboo roots feature in the bedroom. Designing the home, “allowed us to freely test ideas and experiment with materials and details that we might not have proposed to clients otherwise,” Brisson says.
Four-metre-high living room ceilings shed light upon walls lined with patinated Okoumé timber panels, subtly recalling Brisson’s memories of the meticulous panelling at Villa Katsura in Japan. Viennese Secession armchairs designed by Koloman Moser sit opposite a vintage 1960s MP-091 Brazilian edition sofa in reverse leather, designed by Percival Lafer. A vintage elm burl coffee table from sits atop a wool rug by Maurice André from Selency. Ceramic tiling by the fireplace is reminiscent of the style of Jean-Pierre Raynaud, beside Atollo lamp by Vico Magistretti.
A cornucopia of art and collected objects nourish the home with personal memories. “They bring an emotional, narrative dimension to spaces,” considers Brisson, “they make the apartment feel alive and intimate.” Small sculptural pieces are shelved atop miniature thrones. A framed artist’s palette installed in the kitchen, that inspired the project’s colour scheme, recalls the home’s history.
Yet, beyond the project’s embracing outcome the creative, inventive experience allowed Brisson and Lustigman to develop the kind of personal visual lexicon that only comes from designing your own home. Insights that now play into the way they design ‘home’ for others, Brisson reflects, “Living in the project better taught us about the relationship between space, light and daily use. It’s reinforced our sensitive, narrative approach…every detail reminds us of the care invested.”
By the bedroom, a south-facing custom-designed stainless-steel desk, with chair by Eero Saarinen, houses an Egyptian alabaster vase and a Murano glass lamp.
The warm-toned bedroom features a patinated copper artwork by Don Freedman, opposite sits a 1960s wall light by Marc D’Haenens.
A bathroom of Portuguese pink marble hugs a custom-designed perforated stainless-steel bath, a bespoke fuchsia rug and 1980s sink by Andrée Putman, a custom mirror and Luci Fair wall lights by Philippe Starck.
