to splurge — “We are lucky, our business is
doing well so we can buy art, which is more
and more valuable” — but that doesn’t
mean she’s any less selective. She is quick
to point out there’s a difference between
admiring something in a gallery and
purchasing it for her own space. “I wouldn’t
buy something for my own house just
because I like it in someone else’s.” She is
also a fan of antiques shops, taking full advan-
tage of the nearby Rue Jacob, a hotspot for
vintage pieces in Paris where she found the
living room’s black velvet armchairs.
She is aware that people find her design
taste unexpected — when she and her
husband moved into the apartment there was
so much talk about its style that a whole tele-
vision programme was dedicated to it. While
she isn’t opposed to more modern, simplistic-
looking rooms, d’Ornano finds them “very
much architect rooms — you can’t move
anything or it will disturb the whole look”.
She prefers the lived-in, familial approach.
“As much as our interior is very grand, we
brought up five children in this house. They
would sit on the floor watching television in
the living room or eating around the table
in the dining room. There was always some
kind of mess around — I like a certain degree
of disorder.” ■ @roisinkatekellyW hat a Beautiful World! by Isabelle d’Ornano
is published by La Martinière/Abrams at £60Her bedroom,
originally a library,
is by the renowned
French interior
designer Henri
SamuelAbove The ‘cosy area’ of the dining room, where d’Ornano likes to sit and
Portrait: Oleg Covian read or watch television. To p The entrance hall, leading to the living room
The Sunday Times Style • 47