Inside a Paris Design Couple’s “Theater of Objects”

There aren’t enough adjectives to describe the multilayered Paris apartment of antique dealer and designer Philippe Rapin and his partner in crime, former lifestyle editor Sylvie de Chirée. On the fifth floor of a Right Bank building built in 1910, this ever-curious duo have created a space somewhere between a design laboratory and a cabinet of curiosities. Nothing is off limits, and De Chirée describes their refuge as a “theater of objects.”

De Chirée has lived in the apartment for “a very long time,” she says. The large space—with five bedrooms and two baths—housed her family and now, with all of the children grown and out on their own, it has become home to the couple again. “A reflection of Philippe’s eclectic universe, a creative place, and an extension of his gallery,” De Chirée adds. The former fashion and lifestyle editor is quick to point out that the original decoration by Maison Jansen is from the 1950s and the delicately painted walls, also original to the flat, from circa 1910. The entire apartment serves as a backdrop to Rapin’s ever-growing collection of objects and furniture. They like to mix things up, bringing in new discoveries and setting the stage with older collections Rapin has had for years, like his eye-catching ceramics. Here, there are no rules, with everything from Fornasetti to a 17th-century Turkish chest, by way of lamps and other pieces from the 1940s.

Read the full Architectural Digest article, here!