French fashion designer Alexis Mabille, 40, grew up in a creative family of architects, painters, and musicians, so it comes as no surprise that he lives in an apartment full of art, flea market finds, and furniture he designed himself. Located in the trendy 9th arrondissement of Paris, the light-filled, late-19th-century Directoire-style (post-Revolution) apartment took Mabille, who is the creative director of an eponymous clothing label, about six months to completely renovate.
Speaking about the project with AD , Mabille says, “I had always lived in the first quarter of Paris, until now. I love the history of this part of Paris and I was looking for a place to completely redo and fix up.” His wish came true when he found a listing for this residence, with its “high ceilings and large volumes,” he says. “I wanted a completely blank page, where everything has been redone except for one mantel, one door, and a part of the ceiling.”
The Napoleon III gilded chair once belonged to Christian Dior, where Mabille worked for nine and a half years before going to the house of Yves Saint Laurent. On the hall table is a painting by Xavier Tronel and an antique Egyptian vase. The chandelier is Stilnovo, and he “stole” the idea for the thin gold wall detailing from the Louvre.
Mabille’s renovation went deep, excavating the original floor plans from the 19th century, and he worked closely with architect friends Humbert and Poyet from Monaco. Although the project was not really in their typical style, Mabille comments that “we collaborated to create my world with theirs." They drew inspiration from the plans and the original intentions for the apartment, which was, in fact, built around entertaining. “I was so excited about this project, I went every day to visit the site,” adds Mabille. “Every morning and every night . . . I wanted to give back the original history to this place. We recreated all the moldings and boiserie. The only new touch was the floors, which I designed, inspired by Royère.”
Mabille, in particular, loves how the space is completely symmetrical. No curtains in any rooms except the bedroom, flooding all the spaces with natural light. The designer hosts a great deal and only uses candles at night, eschewing electric lighting in the evenings, which adds to the already romantic, 19th-century feel of the space.
“I grew up with a love for pretty things and was always in the attic finding an old chair or something like that,” he says. “I think if I wasn’t a fashion designer, I would be an interior decorator.” Mabille currently has plans to launch a small series of furniture pieces based on his antique tapestry covered sofas. And he is also working on a few outside decorating projects, including a new Belle Époque–inspired restaurant-club, Froufrou, housed at the Edouard VII theater in Paris’s 9th arrondissement. When nudged a bit more about his future endeavors, Mabille smiles and says, “Why not furniture like haute couture?”
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