Tour a Good One-Bed room Condo in Paris That Was Designed by Jacques Grange

When one art world insider first moved to Paris some 25 years ago, he found an idyllic perch in the 8th arrondissement. “At about 322 square feet, it was perfect,” he recalls of the studio. “I made it all white [and hung] a work by Thomas Ruff. Then, I met my partner, who had a much larger space in the Marais, and we lived there together for a while.” Eventually, the couple decided it was time to look for a new and larger abode. After searching high and low, they ended up back in that original right-bank neighborhood.

The pair settled on a 19th-century building with a one-bedroom one-bathroom apartment of approximately 1,500 square feet. (“We are a couple. No kids, no dog,” the owner notes.) “We wanted [spacious] rooms, and Jacques did a lot of work and understood everything instantly: a large kitchen, a large bathroom. He did it intelligently so that, if we ever wanted to sell, that would be easy.”

That Jacques would be none other than the inimitable Jacques Grange, whom the client first met about 17 years ago, when he was working as an art dealer. At the time, the homeowner was participating in a fair in Paris when the famed AD100 Hall of Fame decorator stopped by his stand to inquire about something that had just been sold. “He was not very happy when I told him the piece was [taken],” the client recalls. And, of course, I knew who he was, so I quickly found another piece and ran down the aisle to tell him! That was our first deal, and how it all started.”

Flash forward to the present day, and the apartment he calls home is where that long-standing relationship has come to fruition. The residence was purchased over two years ago, before the start of the pandemic, and made move-in ready just before Christmas of 2020. “We were, of course, on a budget and never even thought to ask Jacques,” the homeowner stresses. “[But] one day I was having lunch with [him], and I asked about a young firm I was considering to do the apartment. He said, somewhat annoyed, ‘I am a decorator, you know. Show me the place and I might like it.’”

When one refers to the great Jacques Grange, one references grand interiors with layers of textures as well as spectacular art. (Grange’s portfolio includes the properties of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, Valentino, and the Pinaults.) His practice, however, also makes room for projects like this, which, he explains, “I did for a friend. We redistributed the rooms, as the idea was for them to be comfortable. It was such a nice, big space. We spoke about everything, and where to put each piece,” the designer notes. “It is such an interesting mix of old and now.”

The apartment started out with a very classic, traditional floor plan, which was also in good condition. “The apartment is an ‘L’ shape, with a long enfilade connecting all the main rooms,” the owner explains. “We kept all of that, [but] Jacques completely tore up and reconfigured the short part of the ‘L.’ That’s where the kitchen and bathroom—the most contemporary and modern parts of the apartment—are now.”

As for Grange, he reflects generously on the decorator-client experience: “We taught each other things. I am not interested in just sitting quietly with my own old thoughts. I learned too.”