This Bucolic Paris Home Was Gut-Renovated with Japanese Purity in Mind
Katja Pargger’s latest project has a unique setting, surrounded by what feels like a small forest in the middle of the city. When she first visited the bucolic Paris home, it was like discovering a magical overgrown garden. That also made it impossible to get a good photograph of the house in its entirety, as nature hid sections of it from view. Behind all that greenery was a typical early 19th-century home with a classically inspired exterior. The romantic setting near Paris and the house that occupied it belonged to the pointillist painter Jac Martin-Ferrières in the 1930s; he added a studio with a glass roof in the 1950s.“I wanted the house to continue to maintain its connection with nature while also preserving the large volume and better organizing the space,” the Austrian architect and designer says. In order to save the house, it would have to be completely gutted and its faux brick facade entirely rebuilt.The facade of the home was completely rebuilt. Large French windows in modernist style open onto the garden. On the roofs are planters with trees.
The staircase consists of a metal structure covered in plaster. On the wall hangs Kernelless Siamese Cobs by Xolo Cuintle. Next to a chair by Charles Rennie Mackintosh stands a Teatro armchair by Aldo Rossi.
“We kept the very high ceiling and the large French windows overlooking this fabulous garden, in an assertively modernist style, along the lines of Le Corbusier and Robert Mallet-Stevens,” Pargger explains. An indoor swimming pool with a sober and restrained design now stands where the studio once did. With gardens on both sides of the house, Pargger has created a new fluidity: the building has large vertical openings that blur the lines between exterior and interior on warm days. From the living room to the bedrooms, wherever you are, you’re surrounded by trees, and the architect’s goal has been to engage with this natural setting that both reveals and hides itself behind the layers of foliage.In the living room, behind one of the leather sofas, a Regen rope and silicone poufand a pair of Armloffel armchairs by Joseph Hoffman. The Park rug is from Nordic Knots.
Photos: Clément Vayssieres/Réalisation: Aurore Lameyre et Alice Mesguich assistées de Joanne FaberIn terms of colors and textures, the architect, who says she “loves authentic materials,” has restored the original appearance of the elegant classical facades—which were whitewashed with small bits of marble—and curated an interior aesthetic that’s reminiscent of the Viennese Secession, while simultaneously evoking the designs of Josef Hoffmann. “I like stone, lime, wood, glass, metal—as raw as possible without being too finished. I don’t use my design freedom simply to make a bold gesture without considering other factors. I design interiors that are sustainable, so that they don’t have to be redone in 10 or 15 years, having fallen out of fashion,” Pargger says. In the vast living area with its soaring ceiling, for example, the walls are constructed from a mineral plaster, while the herringbone parquet is in natural oak. The staircase leading to the mezzanine, made of a single piece of metal, is clad in plaster and has a presence like an elegant sculpture rising in the space at the heart of the home.The living room is organized around a conversation pit: two large modular sofas designed by Pargger form a circle. In the center, an aluminum Sella Curulis stool by SashaxSashaand, atop glazed ceramic coffee tables by Pargger, a bronze Hera Pira box by Victor Guedy. Toward the rear of the room, a 19th-century Italian Studiolo cabinetand a Les Artisans de Marolles wrought-iron lamp. On the stele, a patinated bronze sculpture, Broac over Paris, by Victor Guedy. Above the fireplace, the diptych-camper by Clément Borderie. On the right, the textile work A Trillion Threads Still Weaving by Zuzanna Czebatuland a vintage Indian wooden chair.
Upstairs, in a smaller lounge, the lightly stained oak and Japanese raffia complement the garden without feeling forcefully coordinated. The forest green carpet—which Pargger denotes as “something very new for me!”—evokes nature and the outdoors in a similarly subtle way.“I don’t use my design freedom simply to make a bold gesture—I make my interiors sustainable, so that they don’t have to be redone in 10 or 15 years.”—Katja ParggerAbove a cabinet of wood and parchment and an ivory box, an untitled work by Loïc Blairon. In front, a pair of Armloffel armchairs by Joseph Hoffman. On the stele, a vase by Natalia Criado. The Park rug is by Nordic Knots.
In an alcove off of the living room, a lacquered wooden bench by Pierre Cardinwith an Iranian sofreh by Afshar hanging on the wall behind it. On the small black melamine table, a terracotta vase by Sakata Jinnai. The pair of Saucer sconces are by Gilles Derain.
Constantly questioning her training as an architect, Pargger attempts to create lucky accidents, like placing a door frame in a paneled wall. It’s an effect that recalls a certain Japanese purity. “The more solid and perfect that you build the base, the more you can then innovate, but it’s like a mathematical equation. You have to master everything in sequence before you can go off in other directions.” She embraces experimentation and the blending of materials with an empirical approach that comes from deep within her, the result of her travels around the world to experience art and marvel at beauty that is the result of age and a certain patina. For example, the sofa in the form of a conversation pit, made with leather scraps from Hermès—a design she especially loves—encourages openness and fosters communication. As for the rest of the space, the room is pure and simple. Whitewashed walls diffuse light, while the convex fireplace features a concave sheet-metal hearth. The space is calm, glowing, and Zen-like. The curation of furniture and contemporary works gives the house its personality, with paintings by Clément Borderie, sculptures by artist duo Xolo Cuintle, a tapestry by Zuzanna Czebatul, other paintings by Ciprian Tocu, and furniture by Elias Van Orshaegen.In the dining room, above the fireplace, Origanum Phengaris and, to the right, Seed, Roots, Seed and Inside Out Shell, both by Xolo Cuintle. On the lacquer table, a Teodora cup by Ettore Sottsass. Vintage chairs.
The paint from Clay used for the kitchen cabinets echoes the emerald green of the swimming pool. They also complement the brilliance of the lacquered worktops.
“I like stone, lime, wood, glass, metal—as raw as possible without being too finished.”—Katja ParggerCombining leather, wood, lacquer, and thick fabrics, Pargger’s design is more than a collection of materials, it’s also a meeting of the souls of designers and craftsmen. “This whole mix requires a solid base on which to then fill in the gaps and create a whole that can be experienced. It’s my attempt to take something from Umberto Eco’s theory of literature and apply it to architecture,” says Pargger with a smile. “It’s a little bit of something here, a little bit of something else there, and it all adds up to create something unique.” It’s a design that relies on differences of scale, discreet contrasts, and creating a rigorous whole from a variety of elements.In the library, in front of okoumé and velvet armchairs, two glazed ceramic coffee tables. The sculptural vase is by Anatole Riecke.
On a lacquer table, a parchment frame. The chair, which is also lacquered, is by Takahama Kazuhide. On the bookshelves, hinoki wood boxes, a ceramic bowl, and a small Hera Pira bronze box by Victor Guedy along with other objects.
Next to the indoor swimming pool, Maze by Wendy Andreu. On the floor, One Body, Two Heartbeats by Xolo Cuintle.
In the bathroom, on the left, a small glazed Albarello terracotta jar and a steel piece, The Mirror of Simple Souls. On the stele, a glazed terracotta Fiasco vase. Inoki wood and bronze Masu box. Stainless steel and leather stool.
On the desk with drawers, an inoki wood and bronze Masu box. Lacquer chair by Takahama Kazuhide.
On the wall to the left, works on canvas by Ciprian Tocu. Loveseat bench in brushed metal by Elias Van Orshaegen. On the right, Bulb Study of an Arum Psychoda by Xolo Cuintle. In the foreground, atop a stele, Laetitia Jacquetton’s Tursiope in magmatic stone and Murano glass.
In the bedroom, in front of a Maya screen, on an Art Nouveau wooden stand, a wood and bronze Iwa vase and, on the right, an alabaster and patinated brass Lara floor lamp. On the wall, a pair of small mirrors by Line Vautrin. The leather bedspread is, like the living room’s conversation pit, made from scraps from Hermès fabric. The Turkish kilim is from Konya. In front of the bed, a stainless steel and leather bench.
Architect Katja Pargger sits on glazed ceramic coffee tables in the living room, which overlooks the garden. The large leather sofas are made from scraps from Hermès.
This bucolic Paris home by Katja Pargger was originally published in AD France.
#this #bucolic #paris #home #wasThis Bucolic Paris Home Was Gut-Renovated with Japanese Purity in Mind
Katja Pargger’s latest project has a unique setting, surrounded by what feels like a small forest in the middle of the city. When she first visited the bucolic Paris home, it was like discovering a magical overgrown garden. That also made it impossible to get a good photograph of the house in its entirety, as nature hid sections of it from view. Behind all that greenery was a typical early 19th-century home with a classically inspired exterior. The romantic setting near Paris and the house that occupied it belonged to the pointillist painter Jac Martin-Ferrières in the 1930s; he added a studio with a glass roof in the 1950s.“I wanted the house to continue to maintain its connection with nature while also preserving the large volume and better organizing the space,” the Austrian architect and designer says. In order to save the house, it would have to be completely gutted and its faux brick facade entirely rebuilt.The facade of the home was completely rebuilt. Large French windows in modernist style open onto the garden. On the roofs are planters with trees.
The staircase consists of a metal structure covered in plaster. On the wall hangs Kernelless Siamese Cobs by Xolo Cuintle. Next to a chair by Charles Rennie Mackintosh stands a Teatro armchair by Aldo Rossi.
“We kept the very high ceiling and the large French windows overlooking this fabulous garden, in an assertively modernist style, along the lines of Le Corbusier and Robert Mallet-Stevens,” Pargger explains. An indoor swimming pool with a sober and restrained design now stands where the studio once did. With gardens on both sides of the house, Pargger has created a new fluidity: the building has large vertical openings that blur the lines between exterior and interior on warm days. From the living room to the bedrooms, wherever you are, you’re surrounded by trees, and the architect’s goal has been to engage with this natural setting that both reveals and hides itself behind the layers of foliage.In the living room, behind one of the leather sofas, a Regen rope and silicone poufand a pair of Armloffel armchairs by Joseph Hoffman. The Park rug is from Nordic Knots.
Photos: Clément Vayssieres/Réalisation: Aurore Lameyre et Alice Mesguich assistées de Joanne FaberIn terms of colors and textures, the architect, who says she “loves authentic materials,” has restored the original appearance of the elegant classical facades—which were whitewashed with small bits of marble—and curated an interior aesthetic that’s reminiscent of the Viennese Secession, while simultaneously evoking the designs of Josef Hoffmann. “I like stone, lime, wood, glass, metal—as raw as possible without being too finished. I don’t use my design freedom simply to make a bold gesture without considering other factors. I design interiors that are sustainable, so that they don’t have to be redone in 10 or 15 years, having fallen out of fashion,” Pargger says. In the vast living area with its soaring ceiling, for example, the walls are constructed from a mineral plaster, while the herringbone parquet is in natural oak. The staircase leading to the mezzanine, made of a single piece of metal, is clad in plaster and has a presence like an elegant sculpture rising in the space at the heart of the home.The living room is organized around a conversation pit: two large modular sofas designed by Pargger form a circle. In the center, an aluminum Sella Curulis stool by SashaxSashaand, atop glazed ceramic coffee tables by Pargger, a bronze Hera Pira box by Victor Guedy. Toward the rear of the room, a 19th-century Italian Studiolo cabinetand a Les Artisans de Marolles wrought-iron lamp. On the stele, a patinated bronze sculpture, Broac over Paris, by Victor Guedy. Above the fireplace, the diptych-camper by Clément Borderie. On the right, the textile work A Trillion Threads Still Weaving by Zuzanna Czebatuland a vintage Indian wooden chair.
Upstairs, in a smaller lounge, the lightly stained oak and Japanese raffia complement the garden without feeling forcefully coordinated. The forest green carpet—which Pargger denotes as “something very new for me!”—evokes nature and the outdoors in a similarly subtle way.“I don’t use my design freedom simply to make a bold gesture—I make my interiors sustainable, so that they don’t have to be redone in 10 or 15 years.”—Katja ParggerAbove a cabinet of wood and parchment and an ivory box, an untitled work by Loïc Blairon. In front, a pair of Armloffel armchairs by Joseph Hoffman. On the stele, a vase by Natalia Criado. The Park rug is by Nordic Knots.
In an alcove off of the living room, a lacquered wooden bench by Pierre Cardinwith an Iranian sofreh by Afshar hanging on the wall behind it. On the small black melamine table, a terracotta vase by Sakata Jinnai. The pair of Saucer sconces are by Gilles Derain.
Constantly questioning her training as an architect, Pargger attempts to create lucky accidents, like placing a door frame in a paneled wall. It’s an effect that recalls a certain Japanese purity. “The more solid and perfect that you build the base, the more you can then innovate, but it’s like a mathematical equation. You have to master everything in sequence before you can go off in other directions.” She embraces experimentation and the blending of materials with an empirical approach that comes from deep within her, the result of her travels around the world to experience art and marvel at beauty that is the result of age and a certain patina. For example, the sofa in the form of a conversation pit, made with leather scraps from Hermès—a design she especially loves—encourages openness and fosters communication. As for the rest of the space, the room is pure and simple. Whitewashed walls diffuse light, while the convex fireplace features a concave sheet-metal hearth. The space is calm, glowing, and Zen-like. The curation of furniture and contemporary works gives the house its personality, with paintings by Clément Borderie, sculptures by artist duo Xolo Cuintle, a tapestry by Zuzanna Czebatul, other paintings by Ciprian Tocu, and furniture by Elias Van Orshaegen.In the dining room, above the fireplace, Origanum Phengaris and, to the right, Seed, Roots, Seed and Inside Out Shell, both by Xolo Cuintle. On the lacquer table, a Teodora cup by Ettore Sottsass. Vintage chairs.
The paint from Clay used for the kitchen cabinets echoes the emerald green of the swimming pool. They also complement the brilliance of the lacquered worktops.
“I like stone, lime, wood, glass, metal—as raw as possible without being too finished.”—Katja ParggerCombining leather, wood, lacquer, and thick fabrics, Pargger’s design is more than a collection of materials, it’s also a meeting of the souls of designers and craftsmen. “This whole mix requires a solid base on which to then fill in the gaps and create a whole that can be experienced. It’s my attempt to take something from Umberto Eco’s theory of literature and apply it to architecture,” says Pargger with a smile. “It’s a little bit of something here, a little bit of something else there, and it all adds up to create something unique.” It’s a design that relies on differences of scale, discreet contrasts, and creating a rigorous whole from a variety of elements.In the library, in front of okoumé and velvet armchairs, two glazed ceramic coffee tables. The sculptural vase is by Anatole Riecke.
On a lacquer table, a parchment frame. The chair, which is also lacquered, is by Takahama Kazuhide. On the bookshelves, hinoki wood boxes, a ceramic bowl, and a small Hera Pira bronze box by Victor Guedy along with other objects.
Next to the indoor swimming pool, Maze by Wendy Andreu. On the floor, One Body, Two Heartbeats by Xolo Cuintle.
In the bathroom, on the left, a small glazed Albarello terracotta jar and a steel piece, The Mirror of Simple Souls. On the stele, a glazed terracotta Fiasco vase. Inoki wood and bronze Masu box. Stainless steel and leather stool.
On the desk with drawers, an inoki wood and bronze Masu box. Lacquer chair by Takahama Kazuhide.
On the wall to the left, works on canvas by Ciprian Tocu. Loveseat bench in brushed metal by Elias Van Orshaegen. On the right, Bulb Study of an Arum Psychoda by Xolo Cuintle. In the foreground, atop a stele, Laetitia Jacquetton’s Tursiope in magmatic stone and Murano glass.
In the bedroom, in front of a Maya screen, on an Art Nouveau wooden stand, a wood and bronze Iwa vase and, on the right, an alabaster and patinated brass Lara floor lamp. On the wall, a pair of small mirrors by Line Vautrin. The leather bedspread is, like the living room’s conversation pit, made from scraps from Hermès fabric. The Turkish kilim is from Konya. In front of the bed, a stainless steel and leather bench.
Architect Katja Pargger sits on glazed ceramic coffee tables in the living room, which overlooks the garden. The large leather sofas are made from scraps from Hermès.
This bucolic Paris home by Katja Pargger was originally published in AD France.
#this #bucolic #paris #home #was
English
Arabic
French
Spanish
Portuguese
Deutsch
Turkish
Dutch
Italiano
Russian
Romaian
Portuguese (Brazil)
Greek
