8 inspiring interior decorations that combine art and design

From collector’s apartments to serene hotels, interior designers compete with ingenuity and talent to create living spaces where beauty serves well living. Knowledge of the Arts has selected 8 recent works in Paris to inspire you.

On the occasion of Fine Arts Paris and La Biennale fair, where Jacques Garcia designed the entrance decor, from Peter to Constance Guisset of “Connaissance des Arts” Marino, which intervenes in the intimacy of public or private spaces recently enlarged by the best interior designers, designers and decorators. Just as a delightful winter garden awaits you at the Hotel Faubourg-Saint-Germain, fashion, design and contemporary art will be discovered at the new Hotel SO/Paris. Hotel Costes, an elegant and comfortable palace designed by Jacques Garcia, finally promises you a mysterious and sophisticated atmosphere.

1. SO/Paris, mirror of the city

Design, fashion – workwear by Guillaume Henry – and contemporary art are guests of the new SO/Paris hotel. Located within the walls of the former Cité administration since the 1960s, it was reconstructed by the architect David Chipperfield, its interior design and decoration entrusted to the RDAI agency (Denis Montel and Julia Capp). Don’t miss the immersive installation by Olafur Eliasson and Sebastian Behmann (Other Spaces studio) on the 15th and 16th floors, along with works by Neil Beloufa in the lobby and Thomas Fugeirol in the rooms. Covered in a kaleidoscope of glass boxes and mirrors, Bonnie’s bar and restaurant terraces reflect and scatter the lights of the city. A magical experience, fifty meters above the ground.

ISO/Paris
10, rue Agrippa-d’Aubigné
75004 Paris

2. The taste of empire

Entering this private collector’s apartment is a promise of time travel. “I wanted to be an archaeologist, that’s what I do here”, believes decorator Pierre-Herve Walbaum, a great lover of the Empire style. Furniture, paintings, mirrors, vases, torches, quinquets… each item has been carefully selected from the best antique dealers. Among the most magnificent rooms of the apartment are his son’s bedroom, the decoration of which was directly inspired by Eugène Delacroix’s painting “Count of Morne’s Apartment” (kept in the Louvre), a library and an office. It has a particularly fine collection of cookies and a precious marble sculpture of Madame Recamier by Antonio Canova (in the corner of the room, left).

A private collector has a particularly fine collection of cookies in this apartment. © Manolo Mylonas

3. Modern elegance in Faubourg-Saint-Germain

Interior designer Didier Benderli (Kerylos agency) has already lent his talents to two other establishments of the Chevalier Paris group, Pavillon de la Reine and Pavillon des Lettres. For the Hôtel Faubourg-Saint-Germain, he created a very modern décor with an elegant simplicity dominated by wood, glass and blue or brown velvet. The lobby opens onto a delightful winter garden, decorated with a fireplace designed by artist Francois Mascarello and a giant lacquered canvas by PC Maury, reminiscent of shades of green. water lilies by Claude Monet. Benderly also commissioned Florence Berthet Sonsino to create a gold-chip mosaic for the floor of the bistronomic restaurant, and commissioned the lighting to Maison Lucien Gau.

Faubourg-Saint-Germain Pavilion & Spa
5 rue du Pré-aux-Clercs
75007 Paris

Interior designer Didier Benderli signs an elegant and modern decoration for the Pavillon du Faubourg-Saint-Germain © Jérôme Galland

4. House of collectors

Amélie du Chalard first created a gallery: Amélie Maison d’art. Then came the houses of Ambroise collectors (with a nod to the famous art dealer Vollard). After two initial applications in Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Marais, a third has just opened in the mansion of the sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye, opposite the Île Saint-Louis. ” Each house can be rented for two days, one week or several months. We present an art experience where the feeling of beauty is in every detail “says the founder. Quai des Célestins, the charm of the old mixes with modern creativity (works by Claude Viallat and Georges Rousse, ceramics by Guido de Zan, chandelier by Jeremy Maxwell Wintrebert, etc.).

5. Guisset at Van Cleef & Arpels

Van Cleef & Arpels turned to Constance Guisset to furnish their new offices near the Stock Exchange. “This is a private place that should combine functionality, comfort and aesthetics, a little secret”, the designer explains. The latter designed the reception and co-working rooms, the meeting rooms distributed around the central space framed by a double staircase, not forgetting the library designed as a cabinet of curiosities, where Laurent Derobert’s works were installed, and objects created by four hands. with visual artist Marc Couturier. Finally, Constance Guisset brought the court back to life by creating a “little jungle” in collaboration with landscape architect Arnaud Maurières (Ossart+Maurières agency).

Interior view of the new offices of the house of Van Cleef & Arpels, its installation commissioned by Constance Guisset © Jessica Lia Studio & Clément Barzuccia

6. Neo-baroque inspirations

Home to several art lovers, this neo-baroque apartment mixes objects found at Puces de Saint-Ouen with photographs and contemporary paintings (Pieter Hugo, Alekos Fassianos, etc.). The place also bears the stamp of decorator Vincent Darren. She designed the meridian that occupies the entrance with pink walls and Eye and Mouth lamps in the living room that opens to the garden. But his masterpiece is the blue and gold allegorical fresco in the dining room, lit by a Murano chandelier. Designed in collaboration with artist and decorator Raphaël Schmitt, inspired by these astrological signs. “I was fascinated by the engravings of the 17th century about the science of the stars” Vincent Darré, who was also influenced by Jean Picart Le Doux’s tapestries, explains.

Blue and gold allegorical fresco created in collaboration with Raphael Schmitt © Matthieu Salvaing

7. Mystery in the palace

Hotel Costes, an elegant and serene palace that opened in 1995, owes its sulphurous reputation in large part to the Jacques Garcia-designed China Hall. Ten years ago, the decor had to be removed for renovation work in the kitchens. It has just been completely renovated. Black furniture, lacquered shelves and gorgeous blankets multiply in the play of vintage mirrors that expand the space. It is a meeting place where you can enjoy a cocktail under a new bluish cover that colors the dominant red with purple tones, where you meet, “A bar you never leave alone”, Jacques Garcia mischievously admits. The decorator preserved the original spirit of the space, giving it more mystery and sophistication.

Hotel expenses
7 rue de Castiglione
75001 Paris

Costes hotel bar © Sébastien Vincent

8. Spirit of Cheval Blanc

Peter Marino signs first hotel deal for Cheval Blanc Paris. The designer wished ” build a universe, not just an environment », in keeping with the spirit of the building, an Art Deco masterpiece by architect Henri Sauvage. Straw inlaid walls by Lison de Kaunes, lamps by Philippe Anthonioz, cast iron by Ingrid Donat, metal textiles by Sophie Mallebranche, sculptural furniture by André Dubreuil, chandelier by Laurence Montano…: Marino called to present the best masters of today’s art. the hotel is the look of a private, warm and embodied residence. More “historical” art has not been forgotten, with several lithographs by Sonia Delaunay and a giant painting by Georges Mathieu in the reception room.

White Horse Paris
8, Qui du Louvre
75001 Paris

Cheval Blanc Hotel interior decoration by Peter Marino © Alexandre Tabaste