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among other muses, water lilies and more.
Toro just goes. As he does, one gets the
sense that he might outsoar everyone in his
sphere. His spaces certainly do.
Saint-Pères is Toro at his most vibrant and
imaginative; designed with daring, it is
an exquisite showcase of his talent. His
exuberant use of color. His facility with
shapes. His blending of influences. "I
want to have this eclectic feeling, to create
a nomadic patchwork of references," he
says of his approach, which in this case
includes Italian style, pre-Columbian
construction, and Brutalism. "I like to create
a story."
The story of Saint-Pères begins and ends
as a work in context. This is an apartment
in Paris, not New York, and not London.
Therefore, Toro was intentional about
pairing classical French elements—high
ceilings, moldings, an original stained-
glass window—with contemporary fittings.
He removed double doors for more flow
between spaces but did not do massive
structural work that might have stripped
the space of its provenance.
"We bridged the gap between the old
and the new," says Toro, who was given
creative liberty by the client, a business-
man. While the client's tastes leaned more
traditional, one supposes he tapped Toro
for something precisely the opposite, even
slightly transgressive. Likening the space
to more of a reception apartment than a
family one, Toro thinks on it, and says, "It's
not quite an art gallery," but it is a canvas
where "we could create some stronger
gestures."
Among these gestures are pieces that Toro
designed. In the living room is his state-
ment screen. Made of yellow travertine,
the rotating panels play with intimacy and
privacy. The designer's work in the dining
room is centered a monumental travertine
fireplace that he gave an almost Aztecan
language, softening its force with a Pierre
Augustin Rose sofa. "It's not really common
to have a sofa next to a table," Toro
concedes, "but I wanted to break the rules
to create something more fun." In taking
the same approach with the kitchen, he lent
48 DIGS.NET
| 9.22.23
