You Can Now Buy Incredibly Chic Lighting at Coco Chanel's Paris Apartment
Getting a glimpse inside Coco Chanel’s expansive former apartment on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré (a space that was also home Greta Garbo and good friend Cecile de Rothschild), is something of a Paris Fashion Week ritual for many editors. And along with taking in the great-looking clothes and shoes, many a guest has also gazed lovingly at the space's unique lighting fixtures.
They come courtesy of Paris design firm Desjeux Delaye, founded by interior designers and architects Dorothée Delaye and Daphné Desjeux, whose work references Charlotte Perriand, Le Corbusier and Gae Aulenti. The apartment's representative, Melissa Regan of MR Agency, then acquired the space and asked the pair to handle the interiors.
The firm leans towards boutique hotels-Hotel Snob, Hotel Louvre Piedmont and Hotel Handsome in Paris come to mind-but they weren't content with the stock lighting (or headboards, side tables and chairs for that matter) that they found in the market. The duo decided to create their own lamps and wall sconces from brushed brass, which complimented the 30’s Deco-vibe.
“We wanted fixtures that were treated like wall jewels with simple and timeless shapes. Coco Chanel's apartment is a marvel, thanks to its woodwork, its moldings, and high ceilings. We counterbalanced the style with more refined forms,” said Delaye.
But while Coco may have slept here, she wasn’t the guiding design MO. “We quickly disengaged with style of Coco Chanel, as taking her inspiration was a mistake for the space today.” Though the duo cites French designers Christian Lacroix, Yves Saint Laurent and Sonia Rykiel as faves, their decision to not copy Chanel’s famous look in their interiors had more to do with what the scale of the space dictated, thus making fixtures “quite large in order to register in the expansive rooms,” according to Desjeux.
The reaction to the fixtures by guests prompted Regan to partner with the designers and produce a collection of lighting for retail sale, which was recently exhibited in Regan’s Marias-based MR 80 Gallery during Paris Design Week. The lighting fixtures can be purchased at melissareganeditions.com and range from about $530 to $1,400.
('You Might Also Like',)
