Though the sun-splashed rooms in Pierre Frey's Paris apartment have the wide-open proportions of a converted loft in a newly fashionable neighborhood, the coolly modern space actually inhabits an elegant 18th-century maison in the first arrondissement-the grandest of the capital's districts-steps from the splendor of the Louvre and the Palais-Royal. Frey, who is an heir to the French fabric house founded by his grandfather in 1935, had spent several years living in New York. Upon his return to France in 2011, his mission was to create a contemporary refuge from the frenetic city.
It so happened that the apartment he once occupied over the Frey corporate headquarters had again become available, as did neighboring offices and the attic on the floor above. Frey snapped up the properties and began blowing out walls and ceilings. "In a 300-year-old building, the scale of the rooms is much smaller," he explains. "But I wanted something big, white, and bright."
The 1,500-square-foot two-bedroom home, which Frey shares with his wife, Emilie, and their young son, features pale oak floors with walls painted a soothing ivory. "The shell had to be white, but this hue has a little bit of pink and gray in it," says Frey. "It's warm, but not too warm, and cool, but not too cool."
See the full gallery here on Veranda.com.
The furnishings are an eclectic mix of weathered objects and sleek designs, along with plenty of his family's textiles. "The hardest part is mixing new and vintage pieces in an interior," he says, "but it's what gives a house charm and character." Rough wood benches nestle in the marble-clad kitchen; a scuffed leather coffee table adds a timeworn touch to the living room. Sunny Frey fabrics, from vivid pillows on the sofa to a riotously patterned settee, enliven the surroundings. A splashy bookcase painted a luscious shade of coral serves as the couple's cabinet de curiosités-it holds books, mementos, taxidermy, and treasured gifts: "It reflects," says Frey, "exactly who we are."
Read more on Veranda.com:
This Stunning California Ranch Has a Heart-Shaped Pond and a $17.75M Price Tag
12 Simple Ways to Prepare Your Garden for Spring
Touch Down at the 10 Most Luxurious Airports in the World
The 14 Most Luxurious Amenities Every Home Owner Deserves
