172172 marieclaire.com.auTEXT TRANSLATED BY JOY FLAMMANG.Above: homeowners Véronique Cotrel
and François Mille (pictured below)
filled their living room with pieces they
love from a variety of eras. The mix
includes a ’70s Roger Capron round
table, a Charlotte Perriand leather
chair from the ’60s and a modern My
Beautiful Backside sofa by Moroso.f you ever scroll through
Véronique Cotrel’s Insta-
gram account – @verocotrel- you’ll experience a taste of
the top Parisian designer’s
game-changing style. It’s intensely fresh
and thirst-quenchingly colourful with
unexpected details popping up at every
scroll. A tour through her home,
however, is an epic visual degustation.
The Parisian home is a palatial
19th-century mansion in the ninth
arrondissement that Véronique and
husband and business partner François
Mille transformed into an exquisite
beauty. Soaring ceilings, parquetry
floors and Henry II panelling celebrate
the building’s heritage. In another
designer’s hands the home could have
been reined in by the past, but Véro-
nique keeps the atmosphere light using
lashings of pink and green, with high-
end furniture playing the disruptor.
After a four-month renovation, the
house has become home for their young
family, which includes six-year-old
Lucien and three-year-old Stella. The
old basement was opened up to the
garden and became the ground floor.
The kitchen was built on the former
entrance courtyard where the original
stone staircase and windows were
retained. On the decor front, Véronique
filled her space with pieces from emerg-
ing design houses including Belnette,
Colonel and Chevalier Éditions and
20th-century design stars, especially
Charlotte Perriand and Pierre
Guariche. The garden takes inspiration
from Japan and gives the couple the big
hit of nature they found lacking in this
part of Paris. “Ladybugs, bees and birds
have taken over the space and we are
delighted,” Véronique admits.
The couple’s design firm Agence
Véronique Cotrel is known for bringing
fresh spirit to old buildings. “The new
awakens the old and the heritage subli-
mates the contemporary,” Véronique
explains. For the duo, whose projects
range from small apartments to major
corporate developments, the home is
still their pride and joy. “This project
where our family grows is the synthesis
of our work. Here, we have been able to
go to the end of our desires.”
I
The bedroom is a
lesson in simplicity
and intimacy
thanks to a
pared-back design,
natural textures
and pops of colour.LIFESTYLE