How I decorated this Parisian living room

Design and photo, Antonia at Blue Sparks

A few months ago, Emma* called me. She and her husband had just arrived in Paris as expats, expecting to stay two years. They had rented a furnished apartment in the 7th arrondissement, and wanted to make it feel more like home - could I help? You bet I can!

So I went to meet Emma and see her apartment near the Musée Rodin (marveling at the golden dome of Les Invalides as I came out of the Varenne métro station!). Emma is lovely - warm and friendly. And I could totally see why the decoration of her rented Parisian apartment didn’t suit her. It was very impersonal, a mish-mash of styles, eclectic without the chic, and some quite weird art. But the bones of the apartment itself are drop-dead-gorgeous - huge windows, beautiful light, big rooms, with the intricate cornicing and honey-coloured herringbone parquet of the best Haussmannian buildings. 

Emma and her husband Ted wanted to feel at home and give an elegant Parisian feel to their home. They asked me to decorate the office, living room, dining room and hall. I’ll write about the other rooms in other articles, but thought I’d start with the living room decor, as it’s the pièce de résistance of the apartment.

Emma and Ted would be mainly using the living room just for themselves to relax in. They would sometimes have a few friends over for dinner and would then use the living room with their guests for apéros (short for apéritifs - drinks before dinner often with lots of nibbles) and digestifs (after dinner drinks - for la digestion!).

(Before photo by Paris Corporate Housing)

The main pieces of furniture were obviously already there, including two huge velvet sofas - Ted absolutely hated that they were dark brown and was in despair at the thought of having to live with them for the next two years. There was also an oversized bamboo coffee table and an Eames leather fauteuil and ottoman (most likely a copy) - not a very happy combination, as you can see in this ‘before’ photo. The room lacked coherence and, dare I say it, soul. It’s so obviously a furnished rental, which has been filled with odds and ends of furniture which can be used, but there’s no joy in it. 

Emma and Ted are from the West Coast of the US and the colors in their US home are gentle, muted colors, suited to a very sunny climate. Paris can be sunny (it’s lovely as I’m writing this!) but it can also be quite gray. It’s all part of the charm of the changing seasons here! Personally, I always add some color in my Parisian style designs to brighten the feel of the space for the gray and in-between days. Emma and Ted (especially Ted!) said that they were ok with coming out of their comfort zone color-wise, and wanted some really Parisian decor in their living room.

While searching for a rug for another client, I came across the beautiful rug in blues and golds. This became the cornerstone for the design. Next I looked for the coffee table. Ted and I had persuaded Emma that the existing one could be upended and tucked away safely in a large, unused cupboard off the office. So that left me free to choose! I wanted something that was the opposite of the existing table - so, light and airy. I also wanted it to be multi-functional - to fit in with how Emma and Ted would use the space. So I chose three table of the same tables in different sizes and heights which can either used as side tables or be grouped together in the middle of the salon for apéros so that guests easily serve themselves.

I set a pair of nesting side tables with gold legs and laquered blue tops beside the sofas, so that guests could put their drinks down comfortably, without having to stretch forward to the coffee tables each time.

Next came the challenge of the sofas couleur chocolat! I had thought of those elasticated covers - but they are soooo inelegant! Then I thought of a blanket, but I was worried that it would quickly look creased and crumpled - again, not the elegant look I wanted. So I kept looking and eventually found a bedspread in a lovely bleu canard (‘duck blue’ - not sure which kind of duck though…!) with a slight sheen to it, and an embossed, exotic leaf motif. The material is thick enough not to look crumpled and if tucked in around the sofa seat cushions would stay in place and look lustrous and Parisian!

The sofas are quite deep and uncomfortable to sit on - Emma and Ted are tall, but not extremely tall, so this needed correcting. I chose some wide, thick dark blue cushions to help shorten the depth of the seat. Then I had a lot of fun choosing loads of different shaped and textured smaller cushions, always centring on the blue and gold color theme. I also added some blankets, as Emma feels the cold and wanted to feel cozy.

Emma and Ted really wanted lots of plants and greenery in their home. When they moved to Paris, their two cats moved with them. So when proposing the plants and plant-holders, I researched cat-friendly plants, and made sure that none of them are toxic to animals. 

For finishing touches, the tall lamps were in the apartment already so we set them flanking the windows. And Ted and I had a really fun morning shopping for accessories together - we found the fronds and vase to the right of the mantelpiece at French deco shop Maisons du Monde.

Emma’s immediate reaction to the scheme (in the online tool I use for my design proposals) was this: ‘We LOVE the color scheme and all the fabrics!’. And the cats love hiding amongst the cushions!

If you’d like to bring Parisian style interior design to your home in Paris or in the US I’d love to help!

*Names changed to protect the anonymity of my clients, who kindly gave me permission to tell you about their decoration project.