Napoleon III ordered Baron Haussmann to bring air and light into the city of Paris. Haussmann began a tradition of long urban axes, and harmonious and classical attention to ornament. The uniform façades along the new tree-lined boulevards in turn created an architectural framework for the typical Parisian interior – a particular spatial quality behind the frontages.

The hallway respects these Haussmannian principles. Ornaments, mouldings, spatial arrangements, white walls, herringbone oak floors and old doors seem to suggest that no time has elapsed, but this in contrast with the complete structural renovation of the project. Walls have been moved, room layouts changed and door openings shifted, for a result that is true to its classical origins, but made contemporary by the addition of a new layer of rich materials.

In addition to the calm, classical atmosphere of the hall, living room and corridors, all the other rooms are clad in specific materials to bring a contemporary layer of variation and comfort. Different colours of ‘vegetal’ wallpaper adorn the bedrooms, there are massive white marble bathrooms with gloss lacquered ceilings, and there is natural oak wainscoting in the library, the kitchen and fitness room, all finished with elegant bronze detailing for mirrors, power outlets and ironmongery.

The bespoke furniture and furnishings bring the elegant, tactile and decorated interiors up to the highest Parisian standards together with the fact that in each room one can catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower.

Photos by François Halard