SubscribeSign In
v
Collection by Virginia Ashburn

Miscellanous

View 9 Photos
Custom metal shelves display books. The flooring throughout is white oak, and its color syncs nicely with the tones in the brick—inside and out.
Custom metal shelves display books. The flooring throughout is white oak, and its color syncs nicely with the tones in the brick—inside and out.
Sometimes all it takes is a little luck. For a young married couple, it came in the form of this rare find: a 19th-century, three-story, single-family home in the heart of Paris. The building was a charmer with good bones, but was in need of some serious care. In a vibrant retrofit by architect Pierre-Louis Gerlier that includes structural reinforcements, the reimagined design is set off with a new floor plan. The lower level now serves as a space for the couple’s children, with the public areas—including an open-plan living/dining room and kitchen—on the floor above. Upstairs, the attic has been transformed into a very large primary bedroom with a green-and-white bathroom suite. The living room (pictured) showcases the firm’s bespoke carpentry work with a beautiful, mossy-green built-in bookcase that frames a new fireplace, and a staircase surrounded by arched doorways that hold hidden storage. “We created visual breakthroughs in order to connect the different spaces,” says Gerlier. “The rounded arches are there to help magnify these moments.”
Sometimes all it takes is a little luck. For a young married couple, it came in the form of this rare find: a 19th-century, three-story, single-family home in the heart of Paris. The building was a charmer with good bones, but was in need of some serious care. In a vibrant retrofit by architect Pierre-Louis Gerlier that includes structural reinforcements, the reimagined design is set off with a new floor plan. The lower level now serves as a space for the couple’s children, with the public areas—including an open-plan living/dining room and kitchen—on the floor above. Upstairs, the attic has been transformed into a very large primary bedroom with a green-and-white bathroom suite. The living room (pictured) showcases the firm’s bespoke carpentry work with a beautiful, mossy-green built-in bookcase that frames a new fireplace, and a staircase surrounded by arched doorways that hold hidden storage. “We created visual breakthroughs in order to connect the different spaces,” says Gerlier. “The rounded arches are there to help magnify these moments.”
Curved ceilings create a cozy feel, but wall-height windows throughout the L-shaped plan keep the home connected to its courtyard.
Curved ceilings create a cozy feel, but wall-height windows throughout the L-shaped plan keep the home connected to its courtyard.
“I create spaces for nature therapy. Sensory gardens. You can’t do that with a lawn,” says Williams, who is passionately pro-pollinator. She is on a mission to attract bees, butterflies, and birds into our gardens, as well as a sense of wonder—something you don’t get with a monoculture lawn.
“I create spaces for nature therapy. Sensory gardens. You can’t do that with a lawn,” says Williams, who is passionately pro-pollinator. She is on a mission to attract bees, butterflies, and birds into our gardens, as well as a sense of wonder—something you don’t get with a monoculture lawn.
The wood stove heats the cabin efficiently in winter. The seating nook beside it doubles as wood storage.
The wood stove heats the cabin efficiently in winter. The seating nook beside it doubles as wood storage.
Earth-toned laminate covers the kitchen niche and shelving for durability. There’s a gas stove and refrigerator, and no running water. “The staff bring you a bottle of water and it's a pump faucet at the sink,” explains St-Laurent.
Earth-toned laminate covers the kitchen niche and shelving for durability. There’s a gas stove and refrigerator, and no running water. “The staff bring you a bottle of water and it's a pump faucet at the sink,” explains St-Laurent.