Fitted with salvaged and restored parquet floors in a chevron pattern, juxtaposed with areas of black and white marble tiles, and immaculately restored plaster cornices, the interiors hark back to the past while the eclectic furniture selection and the homeowner’s funky art collection display a modern sensibility. With the latter presenting the greatest challenge, the designers’ approach was to thoughtfully place them all over the house, from the study room, where an astronaut’s helmet is placed in a one of the wood-clad niches, to the bathroom, where framed photos hang asymmetrically above the bathtub, and the upper floor landing where a real motorcycle is proudly displayed on a black metal base against views of the garden.

The homeowners’ eclectic taste in art is further reflected in the furniture selection that includes vintage finds discovered in flea markets, products by established brands like Silvera, Knoll and Minotti, and bespoke pieces like the teal-colored, five meter sofa and adjacent coffee table in the living room by Thierry Lemaire, furniture designer for Fendi. Other unique pieces include the suspended, rotating fireplace designed by Dominique Imbert which gives the living room a retro-futuristic touch, and the handmade stone bathtub in the master bathroom, perfectly balanced by the glass and chrome walk-in shower on the other side.

The artistic sensibility of the interiors is further enhanced by artist Leonard Butler’s hand-painted illustrations in the children’s room and Art et Breton’s cherry blossom branches intricately painted on the dressing room’s walls and doors, as well as the ceiling lighting above the central staircase inspired by a work of art by James Turrell. With spectacular views of the Eiffel Tower from the upper floors, art in every room and a bespoke sound system that is invisibly incorporated into the building fabric, this tailor made residence is every aesthete’s dream.