Paris // 2003

I love Paris. I don't think I could ever tire of walking the beautiful streets, and ingesting all that there is to see and do. So much influence on the history of architecture and interior design has come straight from this city.

Beautiful architecture is everywhere you look in Paris. The ornamentation is so abundant that in some cases it literally hangs off the sides of buildings.

What is so inspiring to me about the interior design of Paris? It's to see how Modern and Contemporary Design has infiltrated the interior architecture of the historic buildings. What does a Parisian do when they want contemporary design, but their 18^th century apartment is full of ornate molding that is just too beautiful to strip? The solution is one of my favorites- a fabulous juxtaposition of periods and styles.

The ornamented walls, ceilings, and parquet floors become a backdrop to modern, sometimes minimal furnishings. The wall-moldings might be painted the same color as the wall to appear more subtle, and textural. Modern furnishings and limited accessories put the emphasis on the architecture. This sort of restraint in decoration suggests a “discriminating” style- that pieces were chosen carefully and deliberately, and each piece, even accessory, is necessary to the overall design.

Tip:

I love many styles, and to be discriminating doesn’t mean you have to be minimal at the same time. The look of abundance is also fabulous- but not abundantly accessorized with horrible little nick-nacks.