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Interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon has transformed the Experimental Chalet Val d’Isère hotel in the village of Val d’Isère, France, with interiors informed by skiing and the surrounding mountains and forests. More
Chunky grain silos informed the shape of the enveloping alcoves at Simple Coffee, an all-stainless-steel Paris cafe designed by local studio Mur Mur Architects. More
The colours and style of the 1970s influenced this renovation of a compact Paris apartment, designed by New York-based The House Special Studio. More
Design studio Policronica has transformed the interior of Hotel Elysée Montmartre in Paris, relying almost exclusively on a single species of wood. More
French firm Toledano + Architects has renovated an apartment in the seaside town of Biarritz, adding a raised sleeping area that looks out towards the nearby lighthouse through a large bay window. More
French studio Uchronia has completed the interiors for Cafe Shin in Paris, which features a central coffee counter topped with a washi-paper roof to emulate a traditional Korean house. More
French architect Joris Poggioli has renovated his Paris apartment, aiming to preserve its historic features while integrating modern design elements.
Poggioli sought to renovate the apartment located in a mansion that was once Napoleon Bonaparte’s office, while preserving its “historic soul”.
Joris Poggiolio has renovated his apartment in Paris”It was an opportunity to merge my passion for minimalism with the grandeur of Napoleon-era architecture,” Poggioli told Dezeen.
“The goal was not just to restore but to allow these historical elements to shine once more in a contemporary context, while also bringing forth the voice of our generation, our era, through my intervention.”
The apartment is located in a mansion where Napoleon Bonaparte had an officePoggioli aimed to restore the 90-square-meter apartment’s original features, which had been obscured by years of modifications.
“When I first stepped inside, it was like entering a fortress with layers of flooring, insulation, and makeshift walls,” explained Poggioli.
“Slowly, I peeled away these layers, revealing original parquet, mouldings, and architectural details that had been hidden for decades”.
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Influenced by Napoleon’s historical connection to the building, he sought to honour its heritage while introducing a modern touch.
To achieve this, Poggioli focused on subtly highlighting features of the apartment, including the grand proportions, the flow of light through large windows, and the overall sense of space.
“I wanted my design to feel like it was embracing the historical skeleton of the building, enhancing its spirit rather than competing with it”.
It has high ceilingsThe 4.2-metre-high ceiling, a focal point of the apartment, heavily influenced his design choices.
Elements like an oversized headboard in the bedroom and a mezzanine-like upper floor were introduced to accentuate the tall ceiling.
“The soaring ceiling height was one of the most striking features of the apartment,” explained Poggioli. “It immediately influenced how I approached the design, giving me room to think on a grander scale”.
“The void, the space itself, became necessary for thought—it allows mental images to escape and flow freely,” he continued.
The bedroom features an oversized headboardThe apartment also features sculptures borrowed from a client, a collector of Amerindian art, whose pieces have been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Puiforcat also lent a series of bowls designed by American artist Donald Judd, while the other pieces come from Joris’ collection.
“These pieces were selected because they represent a bridge between tradition and modernity, much like the apartment itself,” said Poggioli.
“Amerindian art brings a sense of deep-rooted culture and craftsmanship, while the Puiforcat bowls, with their sleek, timeless design, add a layer of refinement,” he continued.
“Together, they create a balance that reflects the overall philosophy of the space—a harmonious coexistence of the past and the present, each enhancing the other.”
Various sculptures can be found in the apartmentOther apartment renovations recently featured on Dezeen include an apartment in Barcelona by architect Raúl Sánchez and a brutalist apartment in Canada by architect Jean Verville.
The photography is by Alice Mesguich.
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French design studio Claves has transformed the interior of a Paris cafe, introducing bespoke retro-style decor that mirrors the architecture of local bars and tobacconists from the 1930s to the present day.
Claves founders Laure Gravier and Soizic Fougeront were assigned to craft a space fuelled by nostalgia and French tradition for the reopening of Le Cornichon, a contemporary neighbourhood cafe, bar and restaurant owned by Bertrand Chauveau and Paul Henri.
Claves has redesigned a contemporary neighbourhood cafe to evoke Parisian bistros”As the owners’ aim was to create a place where people from all backgrounds could come and go from morning to night, every day of the week, the decor had to lend itself to all kinds of scenes”, the design studio told Dezeen.
“The morning coffee while reading the paper, the business lunch, the aperitif with friends, the romantic dinner, the evening out.”
The interior of Le Cornichon incorporates nostalgic chrome fittings and laminate detailsLe Cornichon is positioned on a corner site, its facade and architecture designed to be indistinguishable from that of a local Parisian bar or tobacconist.
“These are highly identifiable but timeless places, which don’t refer to any particular period, or rather which cross the eras by adjusting as they go along”, said Claves.
Touches of different period styles are reflected in the cafe’s decor. Its interior was completely redone from floor to ceiling, and Claves also redesigned the bay windows and blinds for its facade.
A glossy lacquered wave ceiling is highlighted by painted walls with textured plasterClaves designed the cafe’s speckled mosaic flooring to reflect the typical architecture of the 1930s, while the creation of a glossy lacquered wave ceiling was a nod to 1950s Italy.
Textured plaster was applied to painted walls to create contrast and highlight the ceiling.
“We used the classic palette of Parisian bistros, including Bordeaux red, bottle green, cream and chrome details”, said the design studio.
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The counter and waiter station of the bar are covered in laminate travertine effect panels in matt red, with walnut effect worktops in gloss black.
Le Cornichon’s bar was clad in laminate fittings reminiscent of Formica, a material invented at the beginning of the 20th century and used in many post-war bars and tobacconists.
Neon green bar lights pay homage to the space-age design style of the 1960s”We wanted customers to feel comfortable and at home very quickly, that there would be ‘regulars’,” said Claves. “That’s why we’ve taken the codes that everyone knows and built a space that’s rhythmic, harmonious and punctuated with amusing details.”
1980s-style mirrors and chrome rod strips, inside and on the facade, add shine and give rhythm to the space. The studio also added neon-green lights to evoke the space-age design style of the 1960s and lend a party atmosphere to the cafe.
A decorative ‘smoke’ frieze aligns the velvet-padded banquette seating area”We also wanted to create a very cinematic space, like in Cédric Klapisch’s film Un air de famille,” explained the design studio. “This is reflected in strong markers such as the painted ‘smoke’ frieze and the fresco in the toilets.”
The decorative frieze, which evokes wisps of smoke, was created by decorative painter Mauro Ferreira.
Le Cornichon’s toilet displays a fresco mural paintingAccompanying laminate tables are green banquettes padded in thick velvet, which were custom-designed and produced by a Parisian workshop in the style of typical comfortable cafe bench seating.
Wave-shaped backrests echo the ceiling design and the wisps of smoke in the frieze. Chromed steel and black artificial-leather chairs were also custom-designed and made by another local workshop.
Numerous items were hunted down by the design studio to add a patina element to the interior, including the washbasin, mirror and bar lights.
“The pinball machine was hired from a vintage arcade game enthusiast and the postcard holder was bought from a specialist website,” said Claves.
Before founding Claves in 2022, Gravier and Fougeront gained experience working together over several years for French interior designer Pierre Yovanovitch.
Other retro cafe, bar and restaurant interiors that have recently been featured in Dezeen include the Fika restaurant in Almaty, Kazakhstan, by NAAW Studio and the Sant Ambroeus Coffee Bar Aspen in Aspen, Colorado, by Giampiero Tagliaferri Studio.
The photography is by Matteo Verzini.
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Interior design studio RMGB has redesigned a 19th-century townhouse opposite the Chateau de Versailles, using marble and steel to modernise it while “preserving French heritage”.
The home’s new owner recently sold his apartment in Paris to move back into the townhouse, which had been his childhood home, and asked for a careful renovation to take the interior back to its original state.
RMGB restored the home’s damaged parquet flooring and mouldings before adding bespoke and vintage furniture.
The townhouse’s original mouldings were repairedDue to its location near the Chateau de Versailles, designers Baptiste Rischmann and Guillaume Gibert had to consider each change carefully.
“The most difficult part of the project was complying with all the requests made by the Architecte des Bâtiments de France, given that the house is opposite the Château de Versailles,” the studio told Dezeen.
“They were very demanding about the aesthetic of the project. We had to stay within a certain logic of preserving French heritage.”
RMBG also renovated the parquet floors in the houseRischmann and Gibert aimed for the redesign to respect the home’s original layout while giving it a more modern feel.
“The house hadn’t been remodelled for several decades,” the designers said. “We all had to rethink and modernize the whole while preserving a trace of history.”
“Our initial idea was to preserve the original volumes and infuse them with a new aesthetic and tell a new story, a new life for our customers.”
The kitchen features a marble island and a custom-made steel cupboardThe designers created custom furniture for some of the rooms in the 230-square-metre house. In the kitchen, they added a large stainless-steel cupboard with retractable doors.
Nearby, a large Calacatta Viola marble kitchen island hides the hob and oven, adding a monolithic yet decorative touch.
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“The idea was to integrate colors and materials in small touches, such as the pinkish-orange of the sofa or the blue shade of the rug,” the studio said.
“The materials play the same role for us, from the shine of the parquet and its deep hue to the brutality of the kitchen marble. Our aim is always to create balance by contrasting materials.”
The studio chose vintage armchairs for the living roomIn the living room, Rischmann and Gibert added a ceiling light by designer Nacho Carbonell, a Lek sofa designed by Christophe Delcourt and a pair of 6911 vintage armchairs by furniture designer Horst Bruning.
RMBG chose the furniture for the house based on how the different pieces would work together in terms of both shape and colour.
“We tried to achieve the most harmonious, fair ensemble possible,” the studio said. “At no point did we want to overdo the aesthetics, which meant we had to work more surgically.”
Sculptural furniture adds character to the bedroom”While the pinkish orange of the sofa adds a touch of acidity, the dark blue of the rug brings a little more classicism to the space,” the duo added.
“The white, taut lines of the dining table temper the more extreme materiality of the kitchen island. Each piece of furniture designed or selected for the project was subjected to a rigorous selection process.”
Black marble decorates the bathroomIn the bedroom, the studio added a sculptural bed inspired by the work of French designer Jean Royère. The bathroom, like the kitchen, features striking stonework, with a bathtub and basin in Grigio Carnico marble.
“The basins and the bathtub in the parental bathroom in Grigio Carnico marble, for which we revised the design of the classic basins, giving them a more contemporary look with cleaner lines,” Rischmann and Gibert said.
Other interiors with striking marble designs include a Milan apartment with a “majestic wall” and an all-marble extension to a Victorian house.
The photography is by Matthieu Salvaing.
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