Project

Project DEBROUSSE

Location

16th Arrondissement, Paris

Size

120 m²

Layout

2 Bedrooms · 1 Bathroom · Separate Toilet · Separate Kitchen · Open Living Space

Style

Contemporary Art Gallery

Project DEBROUSSE is a high-end interior decoration project in the prestigious 16th arrondissement of Paris — one of the city’s most sought-after residential districts, known for its calm tree-lined streets, refined Haussmann architecture and quiet elegance.

The brief was clear: transform a 120 m² apartment into a contemporary, gallery-inspired home without losing the period character that gives a Parisian apartment its enduring value. Studio PASE was entrusted with the full decoration project, from concept to final styling.

The existing layout was already comfortable and practical — two spacious bedrooms, a full bathroom, a separate toilet, an independent kitchen and a bright open living area bringing together the living and dining rooms — so the work focused on rethinking how every room would look, feel and function rather than on moving walls.

The guiding constraint was balance: modernise the apartment while preserving the proportions, natural light and period soul that make a Parisian home so distinctive. The design embodies the ambiance of a contemporary art gallery — restrained backdrops, generous negative space and carefully layered lighting give each room a sense of calm and intention.

Rather than concealing the building’s heritage, the project celebrates it. The original architectural details — ornamental wall mouldings and the characteristic Hungarian-point parquet found in classic Haussmann apartments — were restored and highlighted, anchoring the contemporary scheme in the history of the building.

Furniture and decoration were chosen to feel collected over time rather than simply decorated, pairing sculptural modern pieces with quiet, tactile materials and a warm, neutral palette. Every element supports the gallery atmosphere while keeping the apartment genuinely liveable day to day.

Considered decoration of this kind does more than refresh a home — it protects the value of the asset. A Haussmann apartment that feels both timeless and current is more pleasant to live in, and more compelling whenever the owner chooses to let or sell it.

A Parisian apartment of this kind is also a long-term asset, and the decoration was approached with that in mind. An interior that feels both timeless and current is more pleasant to live in and more compelling whenever the owner chooses to let or sell.

The gallery atmosphere depends on restraint. Generous negative space, quiet backdrops and a disciplined palette let the architecture and a few considered pieces carry each room — an effect that is harder to achieve than a fuller scheme, and more durable.

Restoring the mouldings and the Hungarian-point parquet was a deliberate value decision. Period detail is what distinguishes a Haussmann apartment from a generic one; concealing it would have erased exactly the character that underpins the apartment’s worth.

Furniture was chosen to feel collected over time rather than bought as a set. Sculptural modern pieces sit against tactile, natural materials, so the apartment reads as personal and considered rather than decorated to a template.

Lighting was layered room by room — ambient, task and accent — so each space can shift between calm daytime use and a warmer evening mood. In a home designed around art and atmosphere, light is treated as a material in its own right.

The 16th arrondissement is among the most sought-after residential districts in Paris, and an interior there carries an expectation of quiet quality. The gallery scheme was calibrated to meet it without ever raising its voice.

Negative space was treated as a material in the project. Leaving a wall or a corner deliberately empty is a confident decision; it gives the eye somewhere to rest and lets the pieces that remain register fully.

A warm, neutral palette runs through the apartment to hold the scheme together. It lets each room feel distinct while belonging to one whole — the quiet consistency that makes a home read as designed.

Project DEBROUSSE demonstrates how Studio PASE modernises a Haussmann apartment in Paris: combining respect for heritage with a contemporary, gallery-like sensibility to create an interior that is refined, liveable and built to last.

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