{"id":243874,"date":"2025-01-03T11:03:23","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T16:03:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=canvasflow&p=243874"},"modified":"2025-01-03T11:03:28","modified_gmt":"2025-01-03T16:03:28","slug":"inside-a-revamped-parisian-houseboat","status":"publish","type":"id_project","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/inside-a-revamped-parisian-houseboat\/","title":{"rendered":"Set Sail On The Seine In A Revamped Parisian Houseboat"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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It contains 3,400 square feet and four bedrooms.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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January 3, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n

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

Photography: <\/span>Eric Laignel<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Set Sail On The Seine In A Revamped Parisian Houseboat<\/h1>\n\n\n

Marianne and Alexandre Bouchet never imagined living on a houseboat. That was until they were expecting their second child in 2000 and started looking for a larger home for their growing family, which now totals five. When they came across an ad for a Dutch bargelike vessel called a tjalk<\/em>, moored on the Seine in Neuilly-sur-Seine, an affluent suburb of Paris, it was a case of love at first sight. \u201cYou\u2019re at the heart of nature, surrounded by greenery and at the same time right next to an urban environment,\u201d Marianne Bouchet enthuses. \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to imagine such a place!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The couple decided to buy the tjlak<\/em> before replacing it 12 years later with another custom-built boat, which they named Cap Ferrat for the stylish peninsula on the Mediterranean Sea to the east of Nice. Strictly rectilinear in design, it more closely resembles a floating home, its two stories encompassing 3,400 square feet, four bedrooms, even a chimney. It also adheres to rigorous constraints in terms of its dimensions. It could be no longer than 65.6 feet and no wider than 26.2, in accordance with the regulations of the Voies navigables de France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Inside Cap Ferrat, a houseboat moored on the Seine in Paris that has been renovated by Avenue Rachel Studio, acoustic oak-and-pine paneling wraps the living room, featuring Ploum sofas by Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec, an Eames Elliptical ETR cocktail table and vintage Molded Plywood chair, and a woodburning fireplace, all capped by a trio of linen-fiber Coupole pendant fixtures.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Explore A French Houseboat by Avenue Rachel Studio<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another requirement for French houseboat owners is the necessity to dry dock them at least once every 10 years. In 2021, the Bouchets took advantage of it being out of the water to right various wrongs. By then, numerous problems had become apparent. Or as Thierry Poubeau, founder of Avenue Rachel Studio, the local firm hired to oversee the renovation, refers to them: \u201ctechnical disorders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The insulation was of poor quality, which meant the boat was too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. There were issues with condensation, cracks in the former plasterboard walls, and terrible acoustics. \u201cYou used to be able to hear people distinctly walking on the upper deck when down below,\u201d Poubeau recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It contains 3,400 square feet and four bedrooms.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There was also an aesthetic matter to address. In his eyes, the structure on the upper level was disproportionately small. \u201cThe surface of its roof needed to be extended for it to be in scale with the rest of the boat,\u201d he says. This he did both by increasing the square footage inside and adding an awning supported by Cap Ferrat\u2019s chimney stack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The renovation took a total of 10 months and required the intervention of 20 different trades, including a river expert and installers of environmentally sensitive systems. In the process, the houseboat was completely stripped back to its steel hull before new systems were installed. Alexandre Bouchet runs an energy transition consulting firm, and, among other things, it seemed natural to install hydrothermal heating. \u201cIn the winter, the houseboat retrieves heat calories from the Seine,\u201d Poubeau explains, \u201cbecause the temperature of the water is higher than that of the air.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Upstairs is the dining area, its custom Pauline chairs by Avenue Rachel Studio founder Thierry Poubeau flanking an Op\u00e9ra table.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Wood Grounds The Minimalist Material Palette\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Bouchets also desired a different look inside Cap Ferrat. \u201cThere was a lot of freestanding furniture before,\u201d Marianne Bouchet continues, \u201cand a real lack of unity.\u201d Picking up on their love of Japanese aesthetics, Poubeau proposed a zenlike scheme dominated by wood. The walls and ceiling were alternately clad with striated acoustic paneling in oak and whitened pine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The layout, meanwhile, was largely maintained. The focus of the lower level is a central living room, flanked on one side by the main suite and on the other by three bedrooms and bathrooms for the Bouchets\u2019 children. Poubeau simply reorganized the parental bathroom so it could accommodate both a tub and a shower, extended the utility room, added a cloakroom, and installed a desk that is separated from the entry and staircase by a glazed panel. \u201cIt\u2019s like the boat\u2019s control panel,\u201d Marianne Bouchet notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Johanna Grawunder\u2019s ceramic vase and Fontaine<\/em> by Ionna Vautrin accessorize the living room.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Starck also designed the toilet and Arne Jacobsen the sink fittings in the porcelain-tiled powder room.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Poubeau was particularly astute in the way he integrated storage into the renovated interior. Place was found under the staircase for suitcases. Wardrobes were installed above a waterproof partition called \u201cthe peak\u201d in the main bedroom and a platform created to access them. There are also trap doors concealed in its steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With so many built-ins, freestanding furniture could be kept to a minimum. Poubeau used the pieces in the living room to introduce a few pops of color, as well as rounded forms to contrast with the architecture\u2019s orthogonal character. A perfect example is the pair of Ploum sofas by French brothers Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec. \u201cThey\u2019re enveloping and have shapes that remind me of shells,\u201d Poubeau declares. He also selected a linen pendant fixture consisting of three overlapping circles. \u201cThe shape mimics the effect of water when a stone is dropped into it,\u201d he adds. Another aquatic reference comes via the series of light columns that rise from the staircase\u2019s guardrail on the upper level, which he compares to \u201cmasts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Starck\u2019s One More Please stools stand in the kitchen, which is the Oyster model.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Just like the Bouchets, Poubeau had never considered living on a boat before working on Cap Ferrat. Now, he would not be averse to the idea. \u201cI\u2019ve discovered a whole new world,\u201d he recounts. \u201cBeing on the water in a boat rocking from side to side is very peaceful. When you look out the window and see the current flow by, it\u2019s like being transported on a voyage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explore The Eco-Friendly Houseboat On The Seine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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An oil painting by Guy Bardone and a black-and-white photograph by Carole Bella\u00efche, both artists French, hang in the entry.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The living-room ceiling is whitewashed-fir acoustic panels and flooring is white oak.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The painted-steel facade of the two-story houseboat was extended.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Pet cat Vegas naps in the corridor leading to the three children’s bedrooms and bathrooms, all downstairs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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A cobalt sculpture by C\u00e9line Goll\u00e9 overlooks Philippe Starck\u2019s Bubble Club sofas on the upper deck.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Among the house\u2019s efficiency upgrades was installing hydrothermal heating.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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At the top of the stairs are Claustra acoustical light fixtures. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Applique \u00e0 Volet Pivotant sconces by Charlotte Perriand appoint a child\u2019s bedroom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Behind the main suite\u2019s oak-and-leather headboard is a raised oak-fronted wardrobe accessed by a platform with a trap door to additional storage space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

AVENUE RACHEL STUDIO:<\/strong> ALAIN GALLISSIAN; LAURENT GUILLON; SIMON RIES. ENYSEO<\/strong>: HYDRO\u00adTHERMAL HEATING SYSTEM. C3A<\/strong>; PROMOB D\u00c9COR<\/strong>: MILLWORK. CHANTIER NAVAL VANDENBOSSCHE<\/strong>: GENERAL CONTRACTOR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FROM FRONT<\/strong> LIGNET ROSET:<\/strong> SOFAS (LIVING ROOM). VITRA: <\/strong>COCKTAIL TABLE, STOOL. TAI PING:<\/strong> RUG. METALFIRE:<\/strong> FIREPLACE. RIVA: BOOKCASE. LUMINA:<\/strong> FLOOR LAMP. CULTURE IN:<\/strong> PENDANT FIXTURES (LIVING ROOM), VERTICAL FIXTURES (STAIRWAY). CHAISERIE LANDAISE:<\/strong> CUSTOM DESK CHAIR (LIV\u00adING ROOM), CUSTOM CHAIRS (DINING AREA). IMPERIAL LINE:<\/strong> TABLE (DINING AREA). MAISONS DU MONDE:<\/strong> COFFEE TABLE (DECK). IKEA:<\/strong> BENCH. KARTELL:<\/strong> SEATING (DECK, KITCHEN). IONNA VAUTRIN:<\/strong> ARTWORK (LIVING ROOM). THROUGH IMDA:<\/strong> VASE. HERMES:<\/strong> BLANKETS (LIVING ROOM, BEDROOM), PATTERNED PILLOW (MAIN SUITE). IRIS:<\/strong> FLOOR TILE (POWDER ROOM). DURAVIT:<\/strong> TOILET. INBANI:<\/strong> MIRROR (POWDER ROOM), SINKS (POWDER ROOM, MAIN SUITE). VOLA:<\/strong> SINK FITTINGS (POWDER ROOM, MAIN SUITE). NEMO:<\/strong> SCONCES (BEDROOM). CUIR AU CARR\u00c9:<\/strong> CUSTOM HEADBOARD (MAIN SUITE). FLOS:<\/strong> SCONCES. VENETA CUCINE:<\/strong> CABINETRY, ISLAND (KITCHEN).

THROUGHOUT<\/strong> ADMONTER:<\/strong> FLOORING. LIGNO\u00adTREND:<\/strong> PANELING. IGUZZINI:<\/strong> SPOTLIGHTS. ALUDESIGN:<\/strong> [CUSTOM] WINDOWS. CRETE ET LAURENT:<\/strong> PAINT.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n