Frederic is responsible for the design of a significant number of the fittings and furniture pieces in this Saint-Germain apartment. In describing his approach once again he speaks of a crossover of minimalism and classicism. “I start with classical features and try to erase all that is inessential in those classical things,” he says. So, no elaborate detail or decoration—the classicism comes through in the materials and proportions. His pared-down style is also a way of celebrating the materials. His furniture designs are mostly timber, perhaps including marble or leather. Although he spent years working for Philippe Starck, who remains one of his design idols, he says that aesthetically speaking, his own work is closer to the minimalism of the likes of John Pawson, Donald Judd, or Rothko. “There is no plastic in my projects, only natural things,” he says. “I love wood; it’s the perfect material.” The bathroom makes rich and abundant use of Carrara marble. While the material signals a certain opulence, the design is the perfect illustration of Frederic’s approach, which is more about expressing the natural characteristics of the materials than about sophisticated details. “I try to remove all the decorative parts of it and keep what is really essential,” he says. The end result is something that seems at once classical and modern. The taps are by Dornbracht. The wall light is by Christian Liaigre.
It’s through Frederic’s contemporary textural approach that this apartment turns simplicity to sophistication. There’s nothing ostentatious and opulent about it, and yet it provides both a calm atmosphere and a rich sensory experience. While the designs of the furniture are stripped of detail in their elegance, they nevertheless connect with the building through their classical proportions and their materials. “In the end, I think that we feel we are in a Parisian apartment,” says Frederic.
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