French interior designer Emilie Bonaventure shares with Sona Decor Singapore why she fell in love with her Parisian apartment and how she has made it a home.
Emilie Bonaventure wanted to live in — in her words — “a very Parisian apartment.” She has loved the vibrant 9th arrondissement since she was a child, so finding her home in the Pigalle area was a dream come true.
French interior designer Emilie Bonaventure in her home
Owns Interior Design Firm, Be-Attitude
A French interior architect and designer, expert in art and decoration, curator and aficionado of fashion and gastronomy, Emilie has multiple talents.
After studying art history at the renowned Ecole du Louvre, she started her professional path first working for an antique dealer and then for an interior designer before launching her own studio, Be-Attitude, in Paris in 2005.
Emilie’s projects (which are mostly in restaurants, harkening back to her parents’ careers as restaurant owners) embody her interdisciplinary approach where art, architecture and design interact.
The mostly white interiors create the perfect canvas for showcasing the French interior designer Emilie Bonaventure’s eclectic style.
Rue des Martyrs, Montmartre
Located on the charming Rue des Martyrs in the Montmartre neighbourhood, Emilie’s apartment doubled as her studio for several years, but continues to be her personal refuge.
She would work with her team in her dining room, where the concept for Rose Bakery Tea Room—inside Paris’s Le Bon Marche department store — was born. Today, Emilie has a separate office, a few steps from her airy residence.
Swatches and textiles can be seen around the home, partly owing to her work.
Beige, Ivory, Cream Interiors
Adorned with mouldings, marble fireplaces and herringbone parquet floors, Emilie’s apartment is a typical 19th-century Haussmann home filled with natural light, which enters from both sides.
In contrast with her usually colourful projects, the French designer chose to paint the walls of her apartment in Wimborne White from Farrow & Ball, and mostly focus on a neutral palette with ivory, cream and touches of caramel and black, creating a serene atmosphere primed for rest and relaxation.
For Emilie, every object tells a story. “An object is a piece of the self, a piece of one’s personal puzzle”, she says.
Searching for furniture with history and soul, Emilie visited many flea markets — something that she loves — including the famous Marche aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, located in the outskirts of Paris. Chairs, tables and lighting from the 40s, 50s and 60s complement contemporary artworks throughout the space.
Living Room
In the living room, an ivory Chesterfield sofa in skai, a Geoffrey Harcourt armchair upholstered in its original fabric, a vintage small easy chair and a pair of tables by C&B Italia sit on a rug from the 1970s.
A Corinthian column, an obelisk in ceramic, a Jean Boris Lacroix lamp from Galerie Jacques Lacoste and a collection of black-and-white ceramics are some of the many surprises. On the wall, the neon artwork “La lumiere parle” (French for “the light talks”) is Emilie’s favourite piece; it reflects her consideration of light as an essential element in human environments.
Dining Room with Fireplace
In the dining room, the old Prussian fireplace provided the initial inspiration for the rest of the space’s decor. The Hick’s Hexagon wallpaper from Au fil des Couleurs introduces colour and rhythm to the space furnished with a travertine table by Angelo Mangiarotti, 1950s-era woven wicker chairs, a Swiss-designed chest of drawers and a brass lamp from the 1970s.
Kitchen Countertop
Clearly contrasting with the white scheme, the black and grey kitchen is an important space for Emilie.
“I am a big fan of cooking, for which I have my parents to thank”, she says. “When I was eight, I had the chance to eat with French chef Marc Veyrat, an experience I’ve never forgotten. The mix of curiosity, imagination, creation and professionalism which characterises him has become a real example to me, a way of thinking.”
The designer loves objects with interesting silhouettes.
Among the lacquered black surfaces and cabinets, jugs and cups by ceramist Pol Chambost, a photograph by Gary Gunderson and a print by Pierre Soulages reflect Emilie’s tastes, while the spot carpet— which reminds her of Sonia Rykiel — adds a surprising, bold twist.
Bedroom
The soft, peaceful ambience continues in the bedroom, warmly decorated with a cowhide rug, a glass table, an easy chair, a furry cushion from Home Autour du Monde, a vase by Edmond Lachenal and a sculpture by Pol Chambost, among other pieces.
Instead of a single mirror, the homeowner opted for several panes in different shapes to create a conversation in the bathroom.
Interested in creating a dialogue between objects and their environment, Emilie has experimented in her home, proving that eclecticism can go hand in hand with harmony.
Photos by Nicholas Matheus