Le Berre Vevaud Updates a Classic Parisian Apartment

By Ian Phillips

For many, the dream of Paris intrinsically involves the thought of living in a Haussmannian apartment—the typical late-19th-century residences characterized by stately marble fireplaces, ornate wall and ceiling moldings, and chevron-pattern parquet flooring that the French call pointe de Hongrie. Yet, for designers and interior architects Raphaël Le Berre and Thomas Vevaud—whose firm Le Berre Vevaud is located in the tony 16th arrondissement, a hotbed of Haussmann-era buildings—such interiors are, if not mundane, then at least commonplace.

“It’s like asking a Roman to be amazed by an ancient stone wall,” Vevaud says. “They’re part of our heritage, our DNA. Both Raphaël and I grew up in such spaces.” When hired to rework one, the designers’ approach is always the same: If the decorative elements are not top-notch, they prefer to remove them; if, on the other hand, the embellishments are of quality, the designers resolutely celebrate them, but often by giving them a contemporary twist.

This 2,400-square-foot, four-bedroom flat close to the Parc Monceau certainly fell into the second category. Its owners, a couple with two young children, were drawn by its generous volumes and ceiling height, and the possibility it offered to create a large living space for the family.