Cover Designer Boaz Monos has channelled the passions of Marie Antoinette into his own living space
Designer Boaz Monos has channelled the passions of Marie Antoinette into his own living space
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Designer Boaz Monos found a part of himself in the figure of Marie Antoinette. From a deep sense of personal empathy to a passion for her aesthetic world, he has channelled that spirit into his own living space.
There are certain figures in history who seem never quite to belong to their time. The French queen Marie Antoinette, admired by some and misjudged by many, is one of them. Long framed by the cliché of an extravagant and disconnected monarch, she has often drawn ridicule rather than sympathy. But for Israeli designer Boaz Monos, Marie Antoinette is not a distant relic of the past but a kindred soul, an “ordinary” woman who found herself in extraordinary circumstances. As author Stefan Zweig once wrote, she remained human through it all, and her sense of beauty remains ageless.
Boaz immersed himself in Zweig’s Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman. He wandered through Versailles, paused at the Petit Trianon, and regarded the queen’s rooms not with reverence, but with compassion. And perhaps that is where a dream began to take shape of engaging in a dialogue with the past rather than attempting to recreate it. In his own space, he brings memory and aesthetics together, colouring each day with his sense of emotion.
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Beauty is never enough
Boaz Monos’ apartment in the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City may be modest in size, but it has become a theatre of layered vignettes, each corner telling its own tale. Collaborating with architect Hoang Than and his creative partner, he has transformed the home into a curated trove of artefacts, recollections, and worldly inspiration.
The open-plan space that flows from living area to dining table and kitchen feels like a banquet in motion. Guests become the audience; the host, the storyteller. At its centre stands a sofa upholstered in classic blue floral fabric; more than a focal point, it anchors a world of curiosities. A pair of poised parrot specimens, a whimsical birdcage armchair. These are characters in a visual narrative where Boaz starts his mornings, coffee in hand, bathed in the slanted light of an 18th-century French oil painting.
Above Working alongside architect Hoang Than and his creative partner, designer Boaz Monos has turned the residence into a living collection of cherished memories
Working alongside architect Hoang Than and his creative partner, designer Boaz Monos has turned the residence into a living collection of cherished memories
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He embraces maximalism not out of indulgence, but as a form of storytelling through objects. The walls speak, the ceilings murmur, the walkways whisper; every surface, every alcove is given a voice. Hidden corners of the study, tucked behind an arched doorway, or a guest room subtly infused with Vietnamese motifs, invite the eye to wander. Exploring this home feels like moving through a miniature palace, where behind each door lies something unexpected: a moment of delight, a new story waiting to be found.
Above Classic wallpaper, softly glowing chandeliers, and framed paintings lining the walls provide a visual pause
Classic wallpaper, softly glowing chandeliers, and framed paintings lining the walls provide a visual pause
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Where Marie Antoinette never left
In the transitional spaces, Boaz turns to restraint. Classic wallpaper, softly glowing chandeliers, and framed paintings lining the walls provide a visual pause. These elements offer calm and coherence, gently guiding the visitor onward into more intimate, more personal realms of the home.
Boaz opted for a restrained decor to offer soft visual pauses, using vintage wallpaper, gently lit chandeliers and paintings positioned along the walls
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Nowhere in the house is Boaz’s love for Marie Antoinette more present than in the bedroom. Surrounding the regal canopy bed are statues, reliefs and portraits of the French queen, ranging from intricate miniatures to dreamlike forms. Here, the boundary between art and life dissolves entirely. Nor is there any sense of moderation in his aesthetic world. “Beauty is never enough,” Boaz says. And indeed, for him, living among the things he loves is not a luxury; it’s as essential as breath itself.
Above Despite his fondness for lavish and layered beauty, Boaz still carved out space for light
Despite his fondness for lavish and layered beauty, Boaz still carved out space for light
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Despite his fondness for lavish and layered beauty, Boaz still carved out space for light. He avoided heavy curtains, favouring airy sheers that allow sunlight to filter through, casting a glow on the statue, the manuscript, and the folds of Marie Antoinette’s white plaster gown, carefully arranged on a console he had sourced from Israel with great effort.
Above In Boaz Monos’s home, Marie Antoinette is welcomed back as a woman of deep emotion
Above Boaz does not attempt to recreate Versailles, nor is he beholden to the past
In Boaz Monos’s home, Marie Antoinette is welcomed back as a woman of deep emotion
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Marie Antoinette may have once been cast out of her own era, but in Boaz Monos’s home, she is gently welcomed back as a woman of deep emotion, lightness of spirit, and an arresting aesthetic strength. Boaz does not attempt to recreate Versailles, nor is he beholden to the past. Instead, he shapes a world in which the Rococo sensibility breathes with personal passion and individuality.
His home is a testament to the idea that historical figures need not remain confined to the pages of books. They can return, not through nostalgia, but through creative continuity. And in that way, the home, like its maker, is always evolving. Because… Marie Antoinette.
Credits
Images: Rabhuu
