Frederic Mechiche
Algerian-born and Paris-based interior designer Frederic Méchiche is known for his ability to design spaces that tell unique stories. Méchiche is a wonderful example of making contrasts designs, keeping the formal elegance of an earlier era within a more easygoing loft living sensibility – “Mix is the new Hit”, Méchiche declares.
If you love Fréderic Méchiche you will be particularly enthralled with the Hotel Particulier, his Paris personal apartment. Méchiche bought this Hotel Particulier in the heart of the stylish Marais district several years ago. Over time, his relentless eye engineered a uniquely personal space – a classic mise en scéne for his contemporary art collection. The home articulates a contemporary minimalism, softened with the patina and texture of time.
“Mix is the new Hit”
Built in 1712, the home was in terrible shape when the interior designer plunged into renovations. The antediluvian plumbing and electrical system were in desperate straits, the shingles rotten and the foundation wass all but gone. Walls were torn down, resulting in the biggest challenge: achieving livable scale – moments of intimacy and warmth in an epic space. In the salon, 18th century paneling has been pieced together like a puzzle and finished with white paint.
The furniture is a mix of French and Italian modern classics by Mies van der Rose or Harry Bertoia. All this is set off by a collection of African masks and 20th century art by Jean Dubuffet, Sol Lewitt, Laszlo Szabo and Joseph Beuys. Méchiche does not like to fill his spaces with much furniture. For him, as interior with an eye to minimalism is the very definition of style. As a result, his collection of treasures never seems overdone and the house has an unflappable mood throughout. In this old house in Paris, old world beauty and new world soul were never a more perfect match. Surely this promises a happily ever after.
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