From the outside, the home looks neither new nor old. The house opens onto a wide landscape of former factories and, in the distance, the hills of the Seine. The living space, on the other hand, is far less nostalgic and far more contemporary: careful use of materials, technical challenges and open spaces quickly define this house designed by young parents who, facing a choice between the city and the countryside, went for neither nor.
The Socialite Family has crossed the Paris ring road to meet them. I studied fashion in Lyon. I grew up partly in Paris and partly in the countryside, in Champagne-Ardenne. I swapped back and forth between these two addresses quite a lot as my parents separated, living with one and then with the other… I studied geography initially before branching off into architecture.
I also work on a freelance basis on smaller-scale projects, primarily residential or small offices. She taught me to sew, and we practised a lot together. My grandmothers also kept clothes from the s and 50s in big trunks. Other than that, I grew up surrounded by nature, in the countryside and forests. This connection with nature is important to me. My tastes have been influenced from childhood by the houses my parents and I lived in. It made a huge impression on me. My father directed and produced documentaries, but he also made furniture, some of which we still have here: the shelves in front of the dining room are an example.
When I was a child, I used to help my father a lot when he was making them, sanding the wood and doing the odd small task. My mother took a lot of photographs — we have a few of those here, too, particularly between the entrance and the living room. The idea of owning a home was important to me. When we wanted to become homeowners, I had a very clear idea of what I wanted: a small house with a little bit of garden. I could see myself having a cup of coffee and watching my child playing outside.
Wood and steel, the staircase that divides the space… This house is perhaps also the culmination of all these influences: warmth from the wood, mineral and metallic touches, and a strong balance between the two materials. And we have lots of friends and family here. When we started looking for a place to buy, we wandered around several districts around Paris and fell in love with this one, perched on a hill.
