We love design – interior design, fashion design, food design, everything that looks pretty, makes us feel good. And this week’s interior inspo comes from AD’s feature on part-time musician’ Benjamin Paulin and former fashion designer Alice Lemoine‘s stunning design-ish apartment in Paris, which features one of the most perfect sofas we have ever seen so far, among other pieces of art.
The family’s furniture pieces are all about chic – back in 2013, the couple have launched Paulin, Paulin, Paulin – a family business that circulates, develops and preserves the works of the late Pierre Paulin- Benjamin’s father. The company aims to highlight the modernity of creator Pierre’s constant search for ideas and concepts. The designs are irresistible, modern, minimalist, and true pieces of art which can transform any house into a sanctuary of style. Our favourite piece? The Big C sofa, the same piece from the couple’s Paris apartment.
“Sometimes we have nothing and sometimes we have four sofas,” notes Benjamin, explaining that their missing furniture, all by his father, is on loan for exhibitions in London and Frankfurt. If that sounds like musical chairs, they like it this way. “When it’s empty,” Benjamin says, “the girls run and dance. When it’s full, they jump from piece to piece. It’s a fun game both ways.” Adds Alice, “We don’t want to be fixed in something that doesn’t move. In French we call it getting too bourgeois.”
The Big C sofa, which has reclaimed its place in the family’s living room is a dream come true for any house that includes one more more kids. Long and sinuous, the piece can seat about 12 children or five-plus adults. When the prototype was delivered to New York City in 2014, the owner, a well-known architect, had to knock down a wall before moving it in, AD claims.
The couple’s apartment from the 9th arrondissement features both as a home and as a viewing space for potential clients.
“It’s a showroom where we are sleeping,” quips Benjamin. “There are kids here all day with pencils and chocolate cakes. It’s the way [customers] can imagine the furniture in their own place. In the end, you want to live with it. Even if it’s beautiful, you cannot lose the function.”
Hmmm, this basically sounds like perfection, and we are in love! Design meets kids and equals love.
Feature article on Architectural Digest by Jane Keltner de Valle
Photography by Alexis Armanet
