HAUT MARAIS
THOMAS FOURNIER
Host to one of the most significant architectural and historic sites in Paris, Le Marais, was formerly the home of the aristocratic society of Paris during the 17th and 18th century. Le Marais was the district of choice where the noble society chose to build their stately homes that were known as hôtels particuliers. After the French revolution, the district fell into demise as the noble society abandoned their homes.
Today, such mansions have been converted into apartment buildings, such as Le Petit Hôtel de Mesmes which was built in 1722 by the architect Germain Boffrand. Boffrand was the king's architect and a student of the celebrated architect François Mansart, who was famous for introducing classicism in baroque architecture. One of the fortunate residents who call this historic mansion ‘home’, is the architect Thomas Fournier - founder of Concina Architecture and Interiors, who established his studio earlier this year with this debut project.
Fournier purchased the two storey apartment located on the first floor of the mansion with sprawling 4.2 m high ceilings and a space measuring 50 m2. The apartment had been untouched since the 1980s when it had undergone a poorly done renovation, which left no trace of its history preserved. As the architect and owner of the project, Fournier was entitled to a complete carte blanche (budget permitting of course). He redesigned the space with the intention of restoring the apartment to its former prestige within the realms that reflected his own design ethos. One of the major reconstructions to the apartment entailed removing a concrete staircase with wooden railings that had been installed during the 1980s renovation. The architect replaced this with a showpiece spiral wooden staircase from the 1900s, which he chose to position near the double height windows to grant it more attention.
The architect immediately took to undertaking restoration works such as reinstalling ceiling cornices, and replacing the old laminate flooring with solid oak in the traditional point de hongrie parquet fashion. To separate the thresholds between the entrance, living room and kitchen, Fournier installed green burgundy marble within the parquet floors to add more details. The architect wanted the apartment to reflect his own maternal heritage and inspiration drawn from by Italian architects from the 1930s to 1970s such as Renzo Mongiardino, Piero Portaluppi or Carlo Mollino.
In the main living room, Fournier painted the walls in a deep beige using Farrow and Ball paint, where he custom built a bookshelf containing a niche for the sofa. He curated the space with a selection of vintage and collector pieces such as armchairs by Vico Magistretti, table lamps, vases and candles by Jean Roger and Laura Gonzalez, and artworks by Jesus Raphael Soto, Alejandro Otero and Gwen Roc’h. Fournier also chose to decorate the furniture pieces using selected fabrics by Dedar, Pierre Frey and Jim Thompson.
With the living room opened to the dining room, the architect chose another vintage statement piece to take centre stage with a 70s Italian dining table. Seamlessly this has been paired with a set of wenge and wicker chairs by Martin Visser and Walter Antonis.
Taking cues from the oak parquet floors, Fournier chose to continue the light oak theme by applying it to the kitchen cabinetry and pairing it with a sarrancolin marble for the benchtops and splashback, and finishing off with a traditional chrome tap ware.
Ascending to the mezzanine level via the vintage staircase illuminated with another Jean Roger lighting piece, this is where we find the main bedroom and bathroom. This upper section the architect chose to close off from the rest of the space for optimal privacy. In the bathroom, a complete Italian flare is in full force with an Alicante red marble which dresses the entire floors, niches, architraves and the backsplash around the pedestal sink. The marble has been further enhanced with the hand-painted Italian patterned tiles in sepia. Adding to this 70s Italian flare, is the brass mirror in the style of Josef Frank that has been paired with a set of 70s vintage mint green sconces.
Fournier has remarkably restored this apartment with a cultured sophistication that renders the prestige that is owed to such a magnificent part of Parisian architecture. He has skilfully marked his own imprint on the history of the building by adding his own maternal heritage through Italian eclecticism, which has been articulately curated through a remarkable collection of materials, fixtures and pieces. We look forward to seeing more projects by Fournier in the future!
PHOTOGRAPHY | ALEXANDER NINO