BREUER
After six years in Germany, Marie and François-David, driven by new professional opportunities, were looking for a large house in the Paris region to settle down with their two children.
Fascinated by the charm of Sceaux, with its downtown shops and easy access by bike, they fell for this Brutalist-inspired 50s house: its light, its volumes and, above all, its architectural style.
Entirely in its original state, it was in need of total renovation, and Agnieszka decided to put them in the hands of our interior designer Isabelle Heilmann to help them rethink the house. Six months later, they’re happily settled into this house of strong character.
Tell us about your encounter with ARCHIK and how it all began?
Marie – We were living in Düsseldorf, looking for a house in Sceaux and came across the advertisement for this unusual house, which immediately appealed to us. We couldn’t move right away, and we knew we had to act fast.
Agnieszka then offered us a filmed virtual tour, which was great! The house needed a lot of work and we needed to see what it looked like before we moved.
Given the beauty of the volumes and light we felt through the camera, we were quick to react: two days later, François-David was in Paris to visit it “in person”. The following week, I was also able to come and confirm that we’d fallen in love!
ARCHIK has accompanied you from the purchase to the renovation of your new home. Tell us about your experience.
Marie : When I came to Paris to visit the house, I met Agnieszka and Isabelle the architect at the same time. She was there to give us a precise estimate of the work involved, so that we could get a concrete idea of what we could do with the house. Agnieszka was with us every step of the way, right up to the notary’s office. It was a very smooth process, which saved us a lot of time and enabled us to keep to our tight schedule with the start of the new school year. The week after we signed in March, work began on the house, and we were able to move in in August. It was ideal!
“Given the beauty of the volumes and light we felt through the camera, we were reactive: two days later, François-David was in Paris visiting it.”
What was your first impression when you visited this house? Did you fall in love with it?
M : From the outside, its architecture is striking and different from the others, and besides, you either like it or you don’t. We’re not connoisseurs of architecture, but we have a sensibility. We’re not great connoisseurs of architecture, but we do have a certain sensibility. We liked its bold shape right away. The volumes, surface area, number of rooms and location were also exactly what we were looking for.
It’s also very open to the outside, with lots of openings and large windows, so light streams in from all sides.
F-D : It’s a house with a real identity, and that’s what appealed to us right away. What really appealed to us was the light! However, there was a lot of work to be done,
It was a leap into the unknown for us, as we’d never done one before.
« From the outside, its architecture is striking and different from the rest, and you either like it or you don’t. We’re not connoisseurs of architecture, but we do have a sensibility. »
ARCHIK chose interior designer Isabelle Heilmann from studio Epicène for your project: how did the collaboration go?
It all clicked! As we said, we were novices, and we immediately felt listened to and understood by Isabelle. It was great to get advice, and she was full of ideas. We’d given a rather functional brief to fit in with our family life. There was a real question about the living area, which seemed a little small to us, and that was an important point for us. From the very first meeting, we had to imagine what we could do in this room, as it was our only doubt.
When it came to renovating the house, were you given carte blanche or did you have specific ideas?
It was almost like a carte blanche. We just wanted to keep the travertine in the living room and staircase. Isabelle proposed a palette of light, natural shades for the living room, and designed lots of wood elements stained in three different varnishes. This creates a warm atmosphere right through to the kitchen. On the floor, we opted for colored flat areas of waxed concrete, which help delineate the different spaces, particularly in the dining room. For the staircase, one of the house’s defining features, we had the travertine floor restored and kept the original banisters. Isabelle added wooden railings and solid colors in green and blue. We wouldn’t have dared, but we love it!
Is there anything you love most about living in this house?
F-D: Saturday lunchtime siesta on the sofa with the sun streaming in!
M: I love the high counter in the kitchen that Isabelle designed, where we have breakfast with the kids during the week, it’s convivial and you have a view over the garden.
Would you have any advice for people embarking on a project like yours?
Surrounding ourselves well! First of all, ARCHIK in the person of Agnieszka, who supported us throughout the sale and offered to work with Isabelle on the renovation of this house. It was a big job, with 200 m² to be completely rethought! She succeeded in meeting our aesthetic desires and functional needs while managing this major project. Secondly, I think it’s a good idea to use a general contractor and have a single contact person in addition to the architect. Despite all the ups and downs, he took overall responsibility, and this facilitated interaction, especially from a distance.
THE 3 FETISHES
THE ROOM IN THE HOUSE
The living room, without a doubt! As you sit on the sofa, you’ll enjoy the view out over the garden, and the lovely perspective of the room punctuated by the claustra, the travertine floor and the few steps leading up to the dining room. It’s the perfect place to enjoy an aperitif in the evening.
THE OBJECT
The Radschläger, the wooden cartwheeler, is one of the oldest symbols of Düsseldorf. In the 13th century, the Count of Düsseldorf waged war against the Archbishopric of Cologne, and when the victorious soldiers returned from the war all the children did cartwheels along the route to congratulate them.
THE ADDRESS
“Le fromager de Sceaux” on rue Houdan. During all those years in Germany, we missed French cheese! More generally, the whole of rue Houdan is Sceaux’s pedestrian shopping street. We go there every Saturday morning to do our family shopping.
Interview et crédit photos – Julie Fleutot