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Known for dreaming up the transportive aesthetics of the Kasiiya Costa Rica and Hyatt Regency Morocco, among other hotels, it’s rare that Paris-based designer Thibaut Picard gets a request to spearhead a residential project. However, when a local couple (a marketing manager and a travel brand director) asked him to create the feeling of a five-star suite in their one-bedroom apartment, he knew he could play to his strengths. “They travel a lot and wanted to rediscover that feeling of comfort and exclusivity in the hotels they had visited,” says Picard. Cue bedroom walls washed in saturated coral, a nod to the streets of Marrakech, and a secret room that was made to cure the flight-home blues.
The entrance to the nearly 700-square-foot space is drenched in a rich blue-green that Picard chose for its theatrical quality. “I wanted to create an entire universe in one room,” he says. However, worried about sucking up light, the homeowners were skeptical of such a deep hue at first. The transitional space’s cutouts, which both open up the area and serve as a spot for dropping your keys, was the clincher. “Once we realized we’d never be short of sun, we abandoned the original plan of all-white walls,” they say. Plus with its 12-foot ceilings (towering by Paris standards), painting the entirety of the hallway kept it from feeling too expansive. And you barely notice the expanse of closets, whose doors share the same color.
The bold palette continues in the peachy primary bedroom (Pink Coral by Ressource) and green marbled bathroom. Picard chose the soft pink, a shade that changes as the hours pass (pastel in the morning, mauve in the evening) to give the owners a cocoon of comfort. “The goal was the feeling of a boudoir,” he explains.
Along the bedroom’s side wall, what looks like standard picture-frame molding conceals the entrance to a walk-in closet and dressing area. “From day one my husband talked about wanting a hidden room, like you see in movies,” the wife says. “And Thibaut kept it in mind all along.”
Knowing that the majority of their days would be spent around the marble dining table, dinnertime or not, the owners use the built-in shelves behind it to keep their favorite art books within close reach. On either side and under the bench seat is more disguised storage for tablecloths and serveware. In order to not hide the apartment’s crown molding, the cabinets stop just short of the room’s full height.
In the open-concept living space, dramatic hues were abandoned in favor of a quieter cool white to complement the sage green dining room shelving across the way. A softer scheme allows the owners to focus on their work rather than their surroundings. Come 6 p.m., a mix of sleek mid-century pieces, many upholstered in velvet, offer a cozy reprieve to catch up and drink a glass of wine. “During construction, when everyone was still in lockdown, we would leave bottles at our neighbors’ doors to apologize for the noise,” the owners say. But 18 months out, the renovation feels far, far away.