Austin-based…
designer, professor of architecture, and writer Christina Cole has unveiled her renovation of a historic Parisian penthouse. Located in the iconic 17th Arrondissement of Paris, this luxury Haussmann apartment was originally constructed during the 1920s, when luminaries like Ernest Hemingway haunted the local cafes and streets. This audacious revival honors the home’s many historic elements while updating it for residents with more modern sensibilities.
As a student…
of world architecture Cole preserved the apartment’s most notable features — a Breche Medicis marble chimneypiece, oak herringbone floors, and a stained-glass dome skylight.
The restoration…
complements the penthouse’s classic features with modern pop art and furniture from designers such as Pierre Chareau and Pierre Augustin Rose. Colorful stained glass windows, antique mirrors, and a crystal chandelier reflect the abundant natural light throughout the home.
For the…
revival Cole also updated the leisure salons made famous during the 1920s where elegant accents, including gold trim and intricate crown moulding, pay homage to French classicism. However, Cole doesn’t limit herself to a single style, and the home also features subtle Mediterranean and French baroque details ranging from a Grecian column in the light-filled salon to the curved stone walls and ornate metal balustrades of the grand staircase.
A restoration…
worthy of its covetable location, Cole worked closely with artisan builder Sortir Dumitran “to marry the lifestyle and tastes of the home’s owners with the deeply nested historic narrative” of an elegant Parisian penthouse.
Design: Christina Cole and Co.
Photography: Shade Degges
Words: Timothy Werth
