A magazine dedicated to compact interiors

The theatrical takes center stage in Adrien and Mathieu’s apartment 53 m² Paris, France Neo-classical Adrien Pillay

This Home Tour is from Sloft Edition 03

When interior designer Adrien Pillay and conceptual artist Mathieu Hassan bought their apartment, it was definitely in need of more than a little TLC. But the space-optimizing, star-shaped floor plan and interesting volumes – the kind you get under three-meter ceiling height – made them fall in love with the place. It took just under three months to bring everything – wiring, plumbing, plastering and moldings – back to life, while custom-made storage let the sublime decoration and furniture bask in the spotlight.

When it comes to the furniture, the couple’s eye for the eclectic swept far and wide across flea markets, Selency and online classifieds. Adrien has mastered the art of mixing and matching à la Second Empire: to wit, the living room, with its wall-mounted bestiary, recalls both the work of Rosa Bonheur and English mansions. "We bought the two sconces at the Fouquet auction in 2017. The ones in the dining room were found through an online classified for 20 euros!"

The coherence of this new narrative also comes from carefully curated shades – for the duo, color is key. You won’t find a lick of white in this apartment, not even on the ceilings! The lightest shades (in the hall and the living room) are actually more of a cream color: "I like to put the emphasis on color, even though my clients often tend to shy away from it. I like showing them you can play with colors and patterns and still end up with a harmonious result. And if you get bored with it, it’s easier to slap on a new coat of paint than to change tiles!"

Color is used to set different moods, but also to open up new perspectives: between the kitchen and the living room – no longer separated by doors – the use of successive shades on different surfaces creates an ersatz perspective, as in a theater set. The same trick is repeated between the newly linked dining room and office, between the entryway and bedroom, and between dining and living rooms.

The two share a taste for staging: "Mathieu works in animation and video games, creating characters and sets. He introduced me to the work of Mary Blair, who worked as a cartoonist for Disney in the 50s, notably on Cinderella. The way she paired colors, which had seemed a little dissonant at the time, is now considered harmonious. I borrow a lot from her in the way I combine colors. It encourages me to go against the rules."