Given that Samantha and Marina were familiar with each other’s sensibilities, there wasn’t much to be conveyed in the way of a brief. “Samantha’s support meant that I was comfortable surrendering the design reins to her and Lucas,” Marina says of her decision to give carte blanche to the firm. This would be Lucas Madani, principal designer and Hauvette & Madani’s other half. “The only instruction I gave them was to make it practical and low-maintenance.” But for the designers, there was more to consider than just functional elevations. “The apartment was a basic 1960s build that lacked personality. The main idea was to bring in a sense of warmth without compromising its character,” Lucas shares.
For an apartment with a small footprint, Samantha and Lucas knew they had to pare the decor down to a bare minimum. “But no one said anything about paring down the pizzazz,” Samantha laughs. In a bid to inject a dose of color into the otherwise muted shell, the designers chose pieces that riff on otherworldly. In the living room, for example, a Crustacé chair by Agnès Debizet cuts a fairy chimney-esque figure, while a gilded Philippe Hiquily floor lamp from Galerie Gastou appears to be rooted to the floor. “With large windows promising an abundance of sunlight, we imagined an art gallery vibe for the living room,” Lucas avers, adding that they even inset all the doors with glass to multiply the natural light.