Family
In Levallois-Perret, Decorative Harmony from the Creator of Maison Marie Uzeel.
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At
Marie Uzeel, Achille 8 and Balthazar 5 years old
Marie Uzeel is in her thirties, mother of two delightful little boys. But that’s not all. Mary has already had the privilege of living a thousand adventures in her (young) life. After studying business and starting her professional life in the world of luxury, a wine estate in the Bordeaux region required her full attention. But the call of her first passion, decoration, grew louder. Marie had to face the facts: she had to make a start. Back in Paris, where luck and chance encounters make amazing things happen. Isabelle Moltzer was introduced to her. It was friendly love at first sight, and the wise Parisienne took her new dear friend under her wing. She shaped her, guided her and helped her find her way. Today, Marie is at the helm of her own business. The eponymous company and location: Maison Marie Uzeel. A dream come true for the woman who has been surrounded by fabric samples and paint cans since she was a child, and whose first aesthetic experience dates back to her discovery of the works of the French pastellist Pierre Skira. This is undoubtedly the origin of her predilection for the worlds of contrasts and dark colours that she now combines in her interior designs, as she does here at home. At Levallois-Perret, Marie has allowed herself to indulge her love of furniture with a story behind it, and which has only one thing in common: it is all in the same place at the same time. The result is harmonious and original, and sprinkled with wallpaper and smiles on glossy paper.
Location
Paris
Author
Caroline Balvay
Photographer
Valerio Geraci
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TSF
Marie, who are you?
Marie
I am 34 years old, I am the mother of two wonderful little boys, and I am an interior designer.
TSF
What is the background that led you to create Maison Marie Uzeel?
Marie
After I graduated from ESCP, I started my professional life in the world of the major luxury groups, attracted by working with the beautiful materials and the quality of the craftsmanship. At that point, my father suggested a new project: taking over a vineyard in the Bordeaux region together. I remember being immediately drawn to the adventure. A real change of direction! Then, suddenly, I was in my thirties. The whole adventure had brought my true aspirations back to the surface. So I decided to pursue a dream that I had hitherto somewhat buried: decoration. A friend who knows me well introduced me to the decorator, Isabelle Moltzer. And we clicked! It was one of those wonderful encounters where everything seems possible. Where after a coffee, a chat, we said to ourselves, let’s go, let’s get started and begin… with a beautiful house in the 7th arrondissement! A dream for any decorator. Isabelle trained me and was my guide into this new world. Later, on the strength of this experience, Maison Marie Uzeel was born. The best part of the story (which is still going on) is that we are still working together, which I absolutely love!
TSF
This taste for interior design: where does it come from?
Marie
My father was a retailer in the decoration business. As a child, I liked to hang out in his shop among the fabrics and the tins of paint… I remember the smells, the materials… So I was sensitive very early on to colours and fabrics. Over time, it has developed into a real passion. Later on, decoration magazines and architecture books started to invade my bookshelves. It was time to face the facts!
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TSF
Do you have an aesthetic signature, a style that we’ll find here, in your home?
Marie
I like strong interiors, contrasting colours and the play between materials. I’m also crazy about wallpaper, and I like to combine different styles. My greatest pleasure is hunting for treasures at the Saint-Ouen flea markets. I love furniture that’s lived, that has a history. I don’t like the total look!
TSF
Which design period do you derive the most from?
Marie
I love Warren Platner, Serge Mouille, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand, the creations of De Sede… So I think you could say that I have a weakness for the second half of the 20th century!
TSF
Is there a creation, a work of art that has left an indelible impression on you?
Marie
My father is very close friends with one of the last French pastellists, Pierre Skira. He had several of his works at home. I remember I loved them. I could look at them for hours. They were compositions about books, then about musical instruments. Pierre Skira’s work captures the magic, strength and delicacy of these “objects” with a rare emotion and sensitivity. I remember loving the atmosphere in his studio, the still virgin canvases, the multitudes of pastels, the light flooding in from above… I love his work, and I was deeply moved when my father gave me one for our first apartment. I have a particular affection for this painting, and I think that this artist has definitely influenced my taste for dark colours.
TSF
Which piece could you and your family never do without?
Marie
The De Sede sofa: we love to snuggle up on it with the boys! It’s the best place for cuddles, tickles and their acrobatics.
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TSF
Which item from The Socialite Family brand would fit best into your world?
Gioia
I love the pure lines of the Pio chair, from the minimalism of the structure to the comfort of the seat. She would be perfect in my bedroom. I will associate it to your Carlotta side table that I love too !
TSF
Which is the place where you feel most at ease?
Marie
At home, in bed! I love our room which is like a little powder pink box, surrounded by the photos I particularly like and with a view of the Seine. But above all, at Cap Ferret where we dream of living one day, and where I’m starting to work on some projects.
TSF
Which are the addresses where you’re sure you’ll always leave with something?
Marie
The Saint-Ouen flea market! I like to go there regularly, for my clients and for the pleasure of finding particular pieces that I dream of, but for inspiration. It’s like a Friday ritual with the pleasure of meeting my favourite dealers, and chatting about new acquisitions. I love going to Merci too. I love their selection, I always find something, whether it’s bed linen, tableware or even stationery. And finally, my favourite place: the Desprez Breheret gallery. If I listened to my heart, there’d be no limit to what I’d buy there!
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