1 year ago
186
When Célia Bernard and her hubby Jean-Marie Castille recovered this two-bedroom Parisian flat straight connected the Right Bank of the Seine, they were definite astir 1 thing: they didn’t privation to overgarment it white. Instead, they opted for a khaki successful the introduction hallway and acheronian cocoa brownish doors. They besides painted the surviving country successful a heavy yellowish that she refers to arsenic “curry”.
Colour is precise overmuch astatine the bosom of the ebullient Bernard’s latest nonrecreational venture. After 22 years moving arsenic a broker successful finance, she acceptable up a manner brand, Love and Let Dye, with her friend, Marine Vignes, who is champion known successful France arsenic a TV upwind presenter. The thought came to them during a travel to Bali successful 2020, wherever they decided to person immoderate apparel made for themselves. “We hired a scooter and went down small alleyways hunting for a tailor and for women who worked with the tie-and-dye technique,” recalls Bernard. “For me, it’s similar Proust’s madeleine. Tie-and-dye takes maine backmost to my younker erstwhile I sold jeans connected Venice Beach successful Los Angeles.”
The authoritative motorboat took spot astatine the tallness of the pandemic successful May 2020 and their postulation of leggings, kaftans, escaped shirts and dresses proved an instant success. They sold retired wrong a fortnight and the statement present has a web of astir 60 salespoints, from Paris to Lisbon and Tel Aviv to Amsterdam.
In betwixt concern and fashion, Bernard dabbled successful existent property for respective years, mostly hunting down houses and apartments for friends and acquaintances. She initially went to sojourn this 1 successful that capacity, but fell truthful successful emotion with it that she and Castille, the caput of a aesculapian start-up, decided to bargain it.
Located successful a 1930s building, the flat offers spectacular views of immoderate of Paris’s astir celebrated monuments. The Eiffel Tower is conscionable crossed the river, somewhat to the left, and if Bernard steps retired connected to the balcony, she tin spot each the mode to Montmartre and the Sacré Cœur. “We truly fell for the information that it’s straight connected the Seine,” she says. “It’s truthful restful to person the h2o flowing beneath you.”
It took 8 months to alteration the interior, which had formerly consisted of a big of tiny rooms. “I wanted everything to beryllium unfastened truthful you tin circulate,” says Bernard. “It’s much oregon little similar a circle.” The bosom of the caller layout is the expansive unfastened room with its granite island, which tin spot up to 12 for dinner.
Ask Bernard astir her aesthetic erstwhile it comes to decor and she’s astatine pains to pinpoint a circumstantial style. She is drawn to Art Deco, but much than thing other she strove to make “a cosy and much oregon little coherent” interior. In the task, she was helped not conscionable by her hubby but besides her mother-in-law, Geneviève Jabouille, proprietor of the well-known Left Bank edifice La Méditerranée, other the Théâtre de l’Odéon.
On the shelves successful the room are the archetypal items the mates bought together: 2 drawings by First World War soldiers, which they recovered successful L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue successful 1993. There are besides vases from the Paris flea market, arsenic good arsenic a brace of woody partition lights designed by the Long Island-based firm, Allied Maker. A caller acquisition is simply a brace of candleholders from interior plan store the Compagnie de l’Orient et de la Chine.
The flat was an accidental for Bernard to indulge her emotion of wallpapers. “I spent hours looking for the close ones,” she says. “I similar the mode they springiness walls a spot of extent and find they cheer up a space.” Other amusive items see a Mathieu Challières birdcage ceiling airy successful the impermanent room, a colourful toaster reminiscent of Russian matryoshka dolls, and a array shot array successful the introduction hall.
The second was thing Bernard perfectly wanted to integrate. “My hubby gave it to my lad erstwhile helium was 12 and we didn’t person abstraction for it successful our erstwhile flat. So, it was stored distant successful a garage,” she says. “I was intent connected uncovering a spot for it here.” Given the occurrence of her caller manner brand, she is presently truthful engaged that she doesn’t person overmuch clip to play. “Still,” she adds, “when we bash person meal parties, it instantly creates a playful mood.”
English (US)