Stephanie Coutas: Creates A Gallery-Like Refuge

In the heart of Paris, designer Stéphanie Coutas transformed her home into a gallery-like refuge with a mix of vintage and contemporary pieces completing a warmly and elegantly adorned backdrop.

Avenue Montaigne and the renowned Champs-Elysées sits the elegant Haussmann building where Stéphanie Coutas found her personal refuge. Spread over 3,875 square feet, the four-bedroom apartment initially comprised a series of enclosed rooms. For this project, which kept Coutas busy for 18 months, the French designer wanted to create more flow and highlight her extensive art collection.

To that end, Coutas designed a sublime white opal door with a sunburst pattern, executed in selenite stone marquetry by the artisan Yann Jallu, contributing to the entrance’s art gallery feel, while a portrait of Gandhi by Parisian-born artist Joseph and a painting by Fabrice Hyber stand on each side of a mesmerizing blue sculpture by Arik Levy, setting the tone for the audacious look that prevails in the apartment.

Audacious it is too. In the living room, Coutas used her Paris chandelier edited by Baccarat as the starting point of the ceiling design. “From the first circle, I started designing the rest of the pattern,” says Coutas, who is a fan of contemporary artist The Kid, and commissioned him for the two large portraits titled “I am the Alpha, I am the Omega, I am the Beginning, I am the End” that flank the fireplace. Representing imprisoned juveniles, faces crossed through in red are visually strong images that inspired Coutas to create the curved wall, which allows the artworks to face each other.

Passionate about craftsmanship and fashion—she got her professional start before launching Paris-based interior design studio SC Edition in 2005—Coutas spent her childhood in Asia and naturally combines different styles and eras in all her interiors. Neoclassical, vintage and contemporary influences blend in this spectacular decor where luxury materials such as leather, silk, wood, velvet, marble and bronze bring warmth to the mostly black-and-white backdrop. “As a fashion designer, I have developed a passion for textiles and textures, patterns and embroideries in all their forms,” says Coutas.

The process of renovating a home turned out to be much more challenging for the designer than working for a client. Her many ideas—and the feeling that she could be more dramatic for herself than she would normally be for her clientele—made Coutas more cautious about her choices, ensuring she wouldn’t add too many elements along the way. As a way to satisfy her creativity, she designed some furniture and accessories, such as the Tai Ping rug in the living room; others pieces are vintage, including the desk from Chahan Gallery in Paris. In the dramatic dining room, the Arborescence chandelier by Hervé Langlais (Galerie Negropontes) hangs above the Mikado table by Stéphanie Coutas surrounded by Aston chairs by Minotti

Aiming to achieve a feeling of comfort, Coutas designed all bedrooms as if they were suites of a luxury hotel. The master bedroom—where soft tones prevail—consists of an Elite bed, a Minotti bench, nightstands by Hugues Chevalier with Boreal table lamps from Galerie Negropontes, and a golden table from Garrido Gallery for a bold touch. Featuring the same color palette as the furnishings, an Albert Féraud sculpture and a Sabina Fay painting adorn this peaceful space that visually represents Coutas’s personal definition of the French way of life. “Being chic is not about being perfect, but about daring to have a house which looks and feels like its owner,” she says. In her Parisian home, the French designer reflects her joyful personality, haute-couture aesthetic and love of art, using a bespoke approach where surprising elements pop in every corner.

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