Interior design: At home with Emilie and Pierre Frey

Fabric designers Emilie and Pierre Frey of Maison Pierre Frey don't do trends. This is reflected in their newly renovated Paris flat

Wed, 10 Apr, 2024 - 18:30

Carol O’Callaghan

A visit to London’s Chelsea Harbour Design Centre nearly two years ago landed me in the elegant showroom of French fabric designers Maison Pierre Frey, where I was immediately drawn to their distinctive Kiss chair and plied with elderflower spritz in the middle of the afternoon to chat textiles and trends with Pierre Frey.

The terrace with a few of the rooftops of Paris.

They don’t do trends, he told me at the time, but keep their focus on timeless designs which are as much at home in period properties as they are in contemporary settings, something reflected in the recently renovated Paris flat Pierre has lived in since he was 21, and which has become home to Emilie and sons Georges, 10, and Marin, 5, in more recent years.

It’s also an enviably short commute for Pierre to arrive at work, just involving a step down a few flights of stairs to his desk in the 17th-century building where his grandfather, also Pierre Frey, founded the family business in the 1930s.

Pierre and Emilie Frey in their Paris flat.

Today the flat is an expansion from what had been just 50 sq m when Pierre first lived there, to 120 sq m across one floor and the attic space above.

Pierre recalls there were three priorities at the start of the project. “We wanted additional space to accommodate our growing family, improved flow and functionality within the space and ample natural light and fresh colours to create a bright and airy atmosphere.”

The living area expands into a dining area.

This has now been achieved with an open-plan living and dining room, a modern kitchen, a master bedroom and family bathroom on one floor, and two bedrooms carved out of the reclaimed attic space for the children.

But given both Pierre and Emilie are in the interiors business (she’s the founder of the lighting company Caneloupo), did it make for a happy design partnership or a clash of ideas? “It was very fluid,” says Pierre. “We both wanted bold colours and shapes. A big project is always fruitful for every couple I believe. You bound [sic] together and it’s a lot of fun for the better.”

Nevertheless, they employed the services of architect Elenora Santucci who redesigned the headquarters of Maison Pierre Frey downstairs, and despite minimal structural work, certain spaces were re-imagined to better suit their family's needs while preserving original features including wooden beams.

"We wanted something much more urban than our house in the countryside,” says Emilie, referencing their home in Normandy’s Eure Valley.

“The flat is both ancient and modern which is the most challenging way to design an apartment.”

Rising to this challenge, their neutral wall space is the perfect backdrop to a bold palette of colours with pink, green and yellow accents, including Maison Pierre Frey fabrics.

“The idea in this flat is to let light in from everywhere while combining it with fresh colours,” says Pierre, “which is why we opted for a large open space. We experimented with colours and lighting to create a truly luminous space.”

Standout features include a vintage Gustave Eiffel-era wrought iron spiral staircase which leads from the living area to the bedroom attic space; a vintage accent chair in Le Manach’s Toiles de Tour fabric, and the Virgule sofa by Christophe Delcourt in deep moss green.

It’s a home of style and comfort but, above all, it’s a family-friendly space with a bonus.

As any self-respecting estate agent will tell you, location, location, location is paramount when choosing a home and the Freys not only have an address in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, between the Palais Garnier and the Louvre, but the bonus of a walk-out balcony, the perfect place to have aperitifs on evenings taking in rooftop views of the French capital.

As with many families, a particular room is the heart of the home. “Our favourite space in the flat is the kitchen with its central island,” says Pierre. “It’s where our family gathers to cook, eat and spend quality time together.”

Emilie highlights the positive experience of living in the flat for the children and how it contributes to family life. "I feel that the flat works wonderfully for the children.

"The open layout allows us to keep an eye on them while they play, and the unique design elements spark their creativity. It's a space where they feel free to express themselves, whether through their toys, drawings or simply enjoying the bright and inviting atmosphere."

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