COLOR BLOCK
Christophe is first and foremost an artist, and a globe-trotting decorator. Caroline is an interior designer with a passion for her profession. So naturally, they share many interests… and three children. She loves comfortable, thoughtful interiors, and he loves mixing styles and eras. The result is an eclectic apartment with obvious character, where colors and inhabitants clash joyfully.
Caroline, a partner since the agency opened in Toulouse, shares ARCHIK’s passion for the art of living. They brilliantly transmit theirs to us in their interiors. Take a private tour!
What was your first impression when you visited ?
C – C – We’ve set our sights on this completely renovated apartment, which is perfect in several respects. First, its privileged location in the heart of Toulouse, in a lively, family-friendly neighborhood close to green lungs.
Secondly, its character : its volume, its possibilities, the beauty and condition of the building… and its private access to a large basement cellar, giving the apartment the feel of a small house.
How did you plan the renovation ?
C – I immediately projected myself into the apartment, and hesitating between two plans, I finally cut out a studio, which naturally unfolded the rest. The whole organization of the apartment had to be modified to modernize circulation, and all the networks redesigned.
We took charge of the entire project, from functional and aesthetic considerations to project management.
As the U-shaped floor plan allows for different room layouts, we decided to work with one color for each room, with the colors varying according to the time of day.
The entrance hall, originally blind, now serves as a small office and library area, lit by a skylight opening onto the living room. In a row, the kitchen has taken its place in the former reception room. The family bathroom replaces the former kitchen. Deliberately kept white, it’s in the cement tiles that fantasy and color have found their place, bringing the necessary whimsy.
“The decision was made to work on one color per room, with the colors all varying according to the time of day.”
How did you go about decorating your new home, and where did your inspiration come from ?
When it comes to decorating, for almost 20 years we’ve been lugging around selected furniture and objects we’ve inherited or found on the market. These are often “coups de coeur”, rarely thought through, and we try to combine them with more modern pieces, such as our Jean Prouvé table.
A pleasant detail to live with ?
Generally speaking, we live wonderfully well in this family apartment, because it’s just like us, it’s the “house” of happiness, always full of friends and children. If we had to choose one room, it would be the kitchen, with its open-plan layout and dining area, which has become a convivial room where we entertain and spend most of our time.
And the apartment is so pleasant that I’ve even set up my office in the basement, in a custom-built cocoon !
THE 3 FETISHES
COPPER LAMP
It’s an original work by Christophe. After his first exhibition in Barcelona, he opened his first seasonal bar on the Costa Brava, called “La Hola”, with what he had earned. This lamp was designed for the bar, like a wave that undulates thanks to air-conditioning copper unwound and repositioned. It found a second life in our living room, the perfect place to dress up the high ceilings.
LA CORNUE GAS STOVE
From my family home in Castelnaudary, it belonged to my mother. A true family heirloom, we salvaged it, restored it and put it in its rightful place. Weighing in at 300kg, it couldn’t have been installed upstairs !
TV SPACE AGE
This little television, very familiar from the Space Age era, was given to Christophe by his father, a real fan of this movement. He found it in Sète, at a second-hand shop specializing in this type of item. It still works, in black and white. We sometimes use it to watch videos, or as a lamp, thanks to the noise / snow, saturating the grain completely.