The greenery on the balcony, when you open the windows, adds to the serene atmosphere. “In this apartment, you are in the centre of Paris, but if you leave the windows open, you see only green,” Frederic observes. The white walls have another advantage. “At the end of the day, when you have an orange sunset, all the white walls take this orange color,” says Frederic. “You can’t have this if your walls are too dark.” But the design of this apartment is not just about looking. The “sensual simplicity” Frederic refers to differs from minimalism in its tactile qualities—its warmth, softness, texture. “I like to see, but touching things is also very important, even smelling them,” says Frederic. “For example, there is a low library which separates the living room from the TV area. A part of it is made with cedar. It smells very good; I really love it.”
Architect Frederic Berthier is influenced by a number of the prestigious architects and designers he’s worked for in the past, including Jean Nouvel and Philippe Starck, but has subsequently forged his own aesthetic that is more concerned with a characteristic that he calls “sensual simplicity,” and which involves a celebration of natural materials and a sparely elegant, stripped-down version of classicism.
And so it was with this apartment. Beginning with the base of a white box, he enriched it and humanised it with layers of natural (and classically Parisian) materials: the beautiful oak floors, abundant Carrara marble, and furniture that celebrates both nature and classicism in its simplicity and proportions. “I think we are really peaceful when we connect with nature,” says Frederic. He also describes how his understated, neutral design celebrates nature. “There is really a lack of nature in Paris,” he says. “I try to [bring back] some nature with the materials I use.” The apartment’s white walls serve not just as a frame for art, but also as “a frame for all these amazing natural things.” “Materials, as they are in nature, or almost, is the best for me,” says Frederic. The wooden floors, the marble in the kitchen and bathrooms, and the ingenious low ledge in the living room for the display of art are also a celebration of nature’s art. “It’s always impressive to know that on the earth you can find a perfectly white marble with just a perfect grey pattern on it or an almost black wood. I try to show these kinds of things in my projects.”
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