{"id":195774,"date":"2022-05-05T14:14:34","date_gmt":"2022-05-05T18:14:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=id_project&p=195774"},"modified":"2022-11-14T14:33:55","modified_gmt":"2022-11-14T19:33:55","slug":"agence-dl-m-sets-a-left-bank-paris-apartment-on-a-colorful-new-course","status":"publish","type":"id_project","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/agence-dl-m-sets-a-left-bank-paris-apartment-on-a-colorful-new-course\/","title":{"rendered":"Agence DL-M Sets a Left Bank Paris Apartment on a Colorful New Course"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"Circus
Circus Peanut, an acrylic on canvas by art collective Henry Codax, hangs above the living room\u2019s wool-satin-upholstered custom sofa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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May 5, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n

Words: <\/span>Ian Phillips<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photography: <\/span>Stephan Julliard<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Agence DL-M Sets a Left Bank Paris Apartment on a Colorful New Course<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, interior designer Damien Langlois-Meurinne has worked on a series of Paris apartments that enjoy mind-blowing views. The dining room of one flat close to Place du Trocad\u00e9ro is in direct axis with the Eiffel Tower. Another sits atop a hill in the city\u2019s 16th arrondissement and offers sweeping vistas of almost all the French capital\u2019s monuments, extending to Notre-Dame in the distance. Yet none of them has such a direct link to the Seine as this 3,500-square-foot four-bedroom located right on the river\u2019s Left Bank. Look through the trees to the right and you see the Louvre; to the left, the Place de la Concorde. On July 26, 2024, its fourth-floor windows will no doubt be a privileged perch: That is the day earmarked for the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, when some 10,500 athletes will sail past on boats from the Pont d\u2019Austerlitz to the Pont d\u2019I\u00e9na.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Damien
Damien Langlois-Meurinne designed both sofas in the living room; the porcelain and metal sculpture between the windows is Pseudosph\u00e8re Verticale, by Nad\u00e8ge Mouyssinat. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The project stands out for another reason, too. Since setting up his own practice, Agence DL-M<\/a>, back in 2003, Langlois-Meurinne has displayed a gift for reworking floor plans and spatial volumes. Often, he\u2019ll gut an apartment and start things over completely from scratch. For a recent commission, he even had to remove a 215-square-foot swimming pool that had been installed, rather incongruously, on the fifth floor of a typical Haussmannian building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are, however, exceptions to every rule, and this project, for an art-collecting couple from the Middle East, was one of them. \u201cFor once, there was a natural balance to the existing layout,\u201d Langlois-Meurinne recalls. \u201cI didn\u2019t really change much apart from connecting the primary bedroom to the adjoining bathroom.\u201d The new birch-clad portal between the two is particularly deep. \u201cIt gives the space a sense of protection and intimacy,\u201d Langlois-Meurinne notes. He also modified the shape of the walls in the kitchen, replacing jagged angles with enveloping curves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Corian
Corian tops the lacquered wood cabinetry \nin the kitchen, paved in Zimbabwe granite; a Thomas Ruff photograph accents walls clad in sanded oak. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What was lacking, though, was much in the way of architectural personality; the space was almost completely devoid of historical elements. So, Langlois-Meurinne designed new ones largely inspired by the Art Deco style of the 1920s and \u201930s. He installed wainscoting and cornices in the large double sitting room as well as a host of elements in staff, a type of plaster he particularly loves working with. \u201cIt\u2019s extremely supple and allows you to create rounded forms more easily than you can with wood or marble,\u201d Langlois-Meurinne explains. The material was used to create the sculptural fireplace that anchors one end of the living space, the ribbed walls in the entry hall, and the domed ceiling in the dining room, among other details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rest of the decor is typical of Langlois-Meurinne\u2019s style, from the strong axes to the integration of niches and alcoves to the bronze door frames that help structure the space. In many of his projects, the designer favors generously proportioned hallways. \u201cFor me, they\u2019re essential,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re the backbone of a flat and need to be lively and have their very own personality.\u201d Bestowing visual impact in the main hall, which serves as a gallery, is a mesmerizing moonlike work in bright red by Dutch artist Corine van Voorbergen. Langlois-Meurinne also created a rhythmic pattern on the floor below by insetting the Tundra Gray marble slabs with brass bands arranged in a syncopated fashion. \u201cTheir reflections help bring light to the heart of the apartment,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Light was a concern in the primary bathroom due to an absence of windows. The striking Panda White marble floor, which Langlois-Meurinne compares to a contemporary artwork, helps to distract attention from the fact. \u201cThe veining is very dynamic,\u201d he says, \u201calmost like an India ink drawing.\u201d The designer also installed a plaster ceiling dome above the tub, into which he recessed indirect lighting. \u201cWhen it\u2019s switched on, it becomes quite immaterial and conjures the sensation of a light well or skylight,\u201d he declares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For aficionados of Langlois-Meurinne\u2019s work, the color palette throughout the apartment may come as something of a surprise. He has long accustomed us to cooler tones, marked by a predilection for shades of blue. \u201cI have a very strong attachment to the sea and the Mediterranean,\u201d he says, explaining that he spent many a childhood vacation in the Cyclades of Greece. Here, however, he decided to play with warmer tones. The walls of the dining room were painted a pale salmon hue, and a monochromatic orange acrylic on canvas\u2014Circus Peanut, by the art collective Henry Codax\u2014dominates one end of the living room. \u201cI don\u2019t know where the inspiration came from,\u201d Langlois-Meurinne admits. \u201cI guess it\u2019s a question of desire, of simply wanting to try out something a little different.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Circus
Circus Peanut, an acrylic on canvas by art collective Henry Codax, hangs above the living room\u2019s wool-satin-upholstered custom sofa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"No\u00e9mie
No\u00e9mie Goudal\u2019s In Search of the First Line III, 2014 hangs in the entry, with an Allied Maker lighting pendant.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Painted-wood
Painted-wood artworks by Marc Cavell bookend a Gregor Hildebrandt canvas made from VHS tape and acrylic; the Italian armchair dates to the 1950s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The dining room\u2019s custom wool-cotton rug anchors a white-finish pinewood table surrounds by vintage Ico Parisi chairs; Estremoz marble tops the custom sheet-bronze consoles. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"The
The corridor leading to the primary bedroom hosts a Tom Kirk chandelier and a William Coggin stoneware sculpture, which graces a walnut plinth. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"In
In the living room, Mus\u00e9e du Louvre (V\u00e9nus) by Martin d\u2019Orgeval finds its complement in a lamp crafted of blown, molded glass; an enameled porcelain vase by Barbara Lormelle garnishes the cocktail table.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"In
In the powder room, more lighting fixtures by Haslam flank an antique green marble sink.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Corine
Corine van Voorbergen\u2019s The Hard Around the Edge punctuates the gallery, which also features ribbed staff walls, a Nicholas Haslam plaster chandelier, and custom zebrano consoles.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"The
The apartment, located directly on the Left Bank of the Seine, has a view of the Louvre and other Paris landmarks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"In
In the primary bedroom, a headboard covered in a arrowroot grass-cloth joins Christophe Delcourt nightstands; between the newly added birch doorways is a gelatin silver print by Iranian artist Payram. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Black
Black Zimbabwe granite surmounts the brushed, stained oak vanity in the primary bathroom, with Panda White marble flooring.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
PRODUCT SOURCES<\/h6><\/div>\n\n\n\n
FROM FRONT<\/h6><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Mark Alexander<\/span><\/a>: straight sofa fabric (living room)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Lorenzo Castillo<\/span><\/a>: armchair fabric, curved sofa fabric<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Versmissen<\/span><\/a>: side tables<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Porta Romana<\/span><\/a>: glass lamps (living room, entry, bedroom)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Barbara Lormelle<\/span><\/a>: vases (living room)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Karen Swami<\/span><\/a>: blue ceramics<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Nicholas Haslam<\/span><\/a>: chandelier (gallery), wall lights (powder room, bedroom)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
TFA<\/span><\/a>: bench fabric (gallery)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Creativ Light<\/span><\/a>: pendant light (kitchen)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
arteriors<\/span><\/a>: table<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Marc Uzan<\/span><\/a>: ceramics<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Graff<\/span><\/a>: sink fittings (powder room, primary bathroom)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Schwung<\/span><\/a>: pendant light (dining room)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Circa Lighting<\/span><\/a>: lamp<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Nobilis<\/span><\/a>: chair fabric<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
HK Living<\/span><\/a>: console (entrance)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Allied Maker<\/span><\/a>: chandelier<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Tom Kirk<\/span><\/a>: chandelier (corridor)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Christophe Delcourt<\/span><\/a>: nightstands (bedroom)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Lambert&Fils<\/span><\/a>: pendant light (primary bathroom)<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
THROUGHOUT<\/h6><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Chromatic<\/span><\/a>: wall paint<\/span><\/section>\n\n\n\n
Galerie Hussenot, Galerie Greta Meert, Galerie Filles du Calvaire, Galerie Sc\u00e9ne Ouverte, Galerie Maison Rapin<\/span><\/a>: artwork<\/span><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n