at
This apartment near the Luxembourg Gardens gave Romain Lazurowicz, co-founder of the global design studio L’Appartement Parisien, the opportunity to express his desire for a unique mix. A philosophy of ‘and’ not ‘or’. A real collaborative effort, both with his architect friend Isabelle Juy, who was behind the renovation of these unconventional spaces, and with his wife, Aurélie, who has been working with him for years. He says she has “very good taste”, and it clearly complements his, as this Parisian by adoption confides that he “constantly needs” her to reinforce his artistic choices. With no need to choose between “simplicity and exuberance”, the couple live with their two children, May and Joseph, in this generously open living space where “everything revolves around the kitchen and the light from the glass roof”. And this symbiosis between their respective energies is illustrated in the use of soft and natural materials “essential for a family home in Paris” as well as in the touches of colour that punctuate the living spaces. Whether that is in the “very slightly bluish and therefore very fresh grey” on the wall – a nod to Florence Elkouby, a lifelong friend and collaborator – or the small decorative touches that complete this modern and definitely Parisian canvas.
My name is Romain, I’m married to Aurélie, and we are the proud parents of May and Joseph. We are both originally from the Vienne and have been Parisians by adoption for 22 years now.
I’m a designer, and in 2005, with my two friends and associates, I established l’Appartement Parisien, a global design studio that has worked with many luxury and cosmetic brands over the past 15 years, helping them to tell new graphic, conceptual, packaging and design stories. I like to think of myself as a designer of “objects of beauty”. We create perfume bottles for major Parisian labels, candles and other home fragrances, and accessories like “La Bonne Brosse”. We created the design for that as well as the entire graphic identity and all the packaging. We are also behind the total redesign of the beautiful and historic Portuguese soap brand Claus Porto, from branding to the art of wrapping, to volume creation, candles, soap dishes, home fragrance and the iconic perfume bottle. We are passionate about our work, and it allows us to style places, brands and products with a touch of poetry, mix & match and colour.
I’m a web project manager. I worked for some wonderful fashion brands before I started my own business!
We complement each other very well. I’m bubbling over with different ideas, whereas Aurélie is much calmer, more minimalist and restrained. She has very good taste, and I constantly need her sharp eye to support my artistic choices. Clearly, our apartment is a mix of these two energies. I don’t like having to choose between simplicity and exuberance; it’s the mix that interests me. The “and” not the “or”.
I grew up in the countryside in a house with a garden that my family extended as life went on. A haven of peace and quiet! My parents knew Paris well. My mother, who was very aware of beauty and design, would sometimes take me there to see an exhibition. For me, it was an opportunity to open up to art, music and fashion! It quickly became a dream and a goal to study design in the city. My father ran a street furniture factory, and I was also immersed in the industrial manufacturing aspect of design. We spent our summers on the Côte d’Azur visiting one of my aunts who worked in a perfume factory. She regularly gave my mother whole boxes of miniature perfumes. We started a collection; I spent hours drawing them…
We fell in love with the entrance under the large zenithal glass roof. Nothing was conventional. There were stairs everywhere, everything had to be redone (...)
What about designers and artists? Whose work has had an influence on you and your work?
At school I discovered Arman, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, and Andy Warhol and his Factory. I love the Velvet Underground, Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe. In design terms, Gio Ponti and Ettore Sottsass for the genius of colour and mix, Tadao Ando for minimalism and poetry, and Charlotte Perriand for both the craft aspect and her ability to tell the story of her travels through a universal design. I love photography too. We like being surrounded by a gallery of inspiring portraits at home. These days I appreciate the free and unique work of Jacquemus, Raf Simons, Rick Owens, Jonathan W. Anderson, Charlotte Chesnais, Muller van Severen, Sabine Marcelis, Floris Wubben and Gustaf Westman.
Tell us how you came across this apartment.
We’ve lived in the 6th arrondissement near the Luxembourg Gardens since the children were born. It’s a very family-friendly neighbourhood! They have their schools and friends here. We were looking for a larger classical apartment, and fell in love with the entrance beneath the huge skylight. There was nothing conventional about it. There were stairs everywhere, and everything needed to be redone. It’s what we were looking for, like a small house in Paris.
How did you plan it?
It was the perfect opportunity to work with my architect friend Isabelle Juy; it was my dream to work with her! I showed her my plans and ideas, and then we spent an incredible few months putting it all together. I like its timelessness, and I needed its very precise look to create a simple, modern and Parisian blank canvas, so I could play with the furniture, colours and materials. I designed the kitchen worktop as a statement piece, with this ivory arabescato marble. It took us a long time to find it. We wanted an ultra-light staircase, and we simply bent sheet steel. It is a very pleasant and ultra-open living space that suits our family life, and everything revolves around the kitchen and the light from the glass roof. Thanks to Isabelle, we have managed to fit in four separate bedrooms, including our master bedroom with its green terrazzo bathroom, which I love! The children’s area has been designed as a separate little house with rounded doors. An apartment within an apartment.
And the furniture?
The furniture is a mix of vintage pieces from our old apartment with more contemporary items. Lots of soft and natural materials, curly wool, travertine, lots of softness. That seemed to us to be essential for a family home in Paris.
The entire space is painted in a very light blue. Why did you choose this shade?
It’s a shade I owe to my friend and associate Florence Elkouby! It’s Inox, from Little Greene. It’s a very slightly bluish grey and so it’s very fresh. Aurélie hates sad “pollution” grey walls (Laughs). It is a particular colour that has become the signature of the Parisian apartment and creates a very pleasant cocoon atmosphere that one never tires of.
Mustard cotton gauze throw. Available in 3 sizes: S (95 x 95 cm), M (150 x 200 cm), L (240 x 240 cm) and 7 colours: in Burgundy, Navy Blue, Fir Green, Rosewood, Almond Green, Panna Cotta and Black Olive.
Let’s get ready for those long winter evenings with some cotton gauze, that floaty natural fabric that brings back childhood memories. With The Socialite Family, it becomes a soft throw featuring strong attractive colours that we take from the bedroom to the living room without a second thought. Ideal backcloth for family outings, the first choice as a bedspread, and soft enough to wrap up a newborn baby: these delicate creations would seem to be the answer to all our questions. Unique expertise in textiles and artisan-produced – natural material that’s kind to the skin and the environment – stunning colours that stand the test of time. It looks as if The Socialite Family has a winning threesome here!
SHIPPING: Delivery should be within 5 working days in France and within 7 working days outside France. Please contact us at shop@thesocialitefamily.com should you have any questions.
RETURN POLICY: You can return your order to us within 14 days of delivery for a full refund once the product has been returned to us. Simply contact us within 14 days of receiving your products at shop@thesocialitefamily.com and we will assist you with your return.
PRO SERVICE: Are you an architect, decorator or interior designer? We can assist you in your projects. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at shop@thesocialitefamily.com for any quotation or custom order.
The Carlotta occasional table in lacquered beech wood is one of the classics of The Socialite Family, as is its coffee table version. Discover this model in full colour.
The Socialite Family brand’s aesthetic is all about her: Constance Gennari, our founder and artistic director, who, thanks to her Franco-Italian roots, has acquired a unique sensibility where her background and a design culture punctuated by vintage inspirations come together.
The Carlotta occasional table pays a vibrant tribute to this. And also to the 20th-century French designer, Charlotte Perriand, to whom this design with its Italian name refers. A strong woman, with a prolific and fascinating output, who paid great attention to the details of her creations. With ours, it is the colourful and, above all, the shiny lacquered finish of the beechwood legs that makes the difference. So the Carlotta occasional table is sure to find a home in both large and small spaces. Play with scale by putting it alongside a Carlotta coffee table for the most precious and glossy look imaginable.
The Carlotta occasional table is a fusion of carved wood and lacquer. It strikes the perfect balance between the renowned skills of our specialist craftsmen and a timeless look that will fit in beautifully in your home:
• Frame in lacquered beech wood made in Italy: black, red or green. An elegant carved wooden structure illuminated by the lacquer. In the same way as on our coffee table and our Gioia table lamp.
• Height 50 cm – Diameter 50 cm: the perfect size, which makes the Carlotta occasional table ideal for both large and small spaces.
Perfect as a bedside table, or as a side table for your living room, beside your bookshelves, in your hall or your office, the Carlotta can be used alone or in combination.
So it’s over to you to use the mirror effect of its lacquer to add the finishing touch your decoration or to complete the scene you’ve already started to set with its counterpart, the coffee table. With its smooth, pleasant feel and curved shape, the sculptural look of the Carlotta occasional table bis both calming and fascinating. It will be endlessly admired.
Gioia table lamp, with a cream white lacquered beechwood lamp base and a white cream pleated cotton shade. Lamp base also available in red or green lacquer. Gioia… The name of our brand new lamp is as soft as the light that emanates from it. Gioia. Joy. The joy of casting a gentle glow over a mantelpiece, at the end of a sofa or on a bedside table. The Gioia will become indispensable, wherever you place it. With its sophisticated design, the sculptural form of its base suggesting a flower and its pleated shade reminiscent of an elegant dress, Gioia is a signature piece. A shining example of the savoir-faire so dear to our hearts at The Socialite Family which is exemplified in the choice of materials and finishes. The shiny lacquer juxtaposed with and enhancing the wood and the matt cotton which set the tone. The promise of a piece that is madly modern, yet retro at the same time.
PRE-ORDER : Available in pre-order with a mid-Mai delivery. The carrier will contact you directly to arrange a delivery date and time. If you have any questions, please contact us on shop@thesocialitefamily.com. ORDER WITH CONFIDENCE: You have 14 days to change your mind and return your order. To do so, please contact us on shop@thesocialitefamily.com quoting your order number and we will answer you as soon as possible with the procedure to follow. We will refund your order once we will have received your returned items. PRO SERVICE: Are you an architect, a decorator or an interior designer? We have a service adapted to your specific needs. Please do not hesitate to contact us on shop@thesocialitefamily.com for all quotes or custom orders.
I don’t like coloured walls or rooms; I prefer to use touches of colour in the decoration. But it’s very important to us! We started with the Knoll Smalto oval table in that milky green-grey that I love to combine with very pop-creamy and comforting colours! It’s a very agency-specific range that we like to work with.
I think our home reflects us well. You’ll find our inspirations and favourites everywhere. It’s a canvas on which we can express all our wishes, a family retreat and a breath of fresh air every time we come home. We wanted an apartment that was cheerful, not pretentious, and open to being with family and friends as much as possible!
Cool-chic !
In the Luxembourg Gardens and in the streets of Saint Germain des Près! On the Ile de Ré with our family where we’ve finally found ourselves a cabin… A new playground. At L’Appartement Parisien near the Tuileries Gardens with my team inventing new beauty stories. And I’m also working on a personal project with aluminium furniture… The first piece is the low shelf in our dining room that holds the David Hockney Bigger Book that Aurelie gave me when we moved in and which I really like.
Photography: Jeanne Perrotte – Text: Caroline Balvay @thesocialitefamily
No comment
Add your comment