Cover The living room showcases the preserved original plasterwork enhanced with LED lighting, custom boucle seating, and the branch-like chandelier installation that references “curved ceilings of Parisian palaces,” all designed to accommodate entertaining while maintaining intimate conversation areas
The living room showcases the preserved original plasterwork enhanced with LED lighting, custom boucle seating, and the branch-like chandelier installation that references “curved ceilings of Parisian palaces,” all designed to accommodate entertaining while maintaining intimate conversation areas
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Olga Ashby transformed a 1911 Haussmann Parisian apartment in the 7th arrondissement into a space built for entertaining, complete with hidden passages, custom textures, and red marble accents
In Paris’s 7th arrondissement, between the Eiffel Tower and the Musée d’Orsay, a Late Haussmann building from 1911 houses an apartment designed to celebrate the pleasures of entertaining at home. Olga Ashby of Olga Ashby Interiors transformed the 150-square-meter space for a property collector who granted complete creative freedom, requesting only “a very interesting collectable space filled with art and design pieces.”
Above The hallway displays YSL blue artwork, reflecting Ashby’s international perspective on French design and her vision of how a foreign eye perceives Paris and France
Above One of the two studies showcases the apartment's custom approach, where Ashby aimed to avoid off-the-shelf shopping, specifying and designing nearly every piece of furniture
The hallway displays YSL blue artwork, reflecting Ashby’s international perspective on French design and her vision of how a foreign eye perceives Paris and France
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Above Designer Olga Ashby in the living area, which she designed to provide “a purely hedonistic experience, where hosting friends at home is more appealing than going out”
Designer Olga Ashby in the living area, which she designed to provide “a purely hedonistic experience, where hosting friends at home is more appealing than going out”
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Ashby’s directive was clear: “to provide a purely hedonistic experience, where hosting friends at home is more appealing than going out.”
The apartment now accommodates gatherings of up to 20 people across two bedrooms, a living-dining area, a hallway, and two studies, with what Ashby describes as room for guests to “find both comfortable space and company without feeling suffocated.”
The living room showcases the preserved original plasterwork enhanced with LED lighting, custom boucle seating, and the branch-like chandelier installation that references “curved ceilings of Parisian palaces,” all designed to accommodate entertaining while maintaining intimate conversation areas
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The original layout required substantial revision. What began as a single bedroom and bathroom underwent three different proposals to local authorities before approval. Construction delays from the approval process and a six-week halt during the 2024 Olympics compressed the final timeline, particularly as the space needed to open as a supplier show home during Maison & Objet in September. “The last three weeks were intense, but fortunately, we pulled through and completed it successfully,” Ashby recalls.
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Above The living area features the inherited red marble fireplace and custom furnishings, with every room designed for circular movement, enhancing flow and connection
Above A curved window seat provides intimate seating where guests can sip wine with a friend
The living area features the inherited red marble fireplace and custom furnishings, with every room designed for circular movement, enhancing flow and connection
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Light travertine with grey stripes creates continuity throughout the apartment, appearing unfilled and backlit in the kitchen, supporting the living room bar, forming the second bedroom fireplace, and anchoring the main bathroom.
“I love how it looks in the kitchen when it’s unfilled and backlit,” Ashby notes. Red marble, inherited from an existing fireplace, extends to bedside table tops and hallway wardrobe handles. “However, my favourite aspect was using the marble for the headboard and bed joint details,” she says. “It adds a subtle touch.”
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The open-plan living and dining area demonstrates the apartment’s capacity to easily accommodate 20 people
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Rather than bold colours, the design emphasises texture. Rugs in the study and bedroom feature a combination of metal threads, wool, and silk on raised details. “They are so textured that one can never forget walking barefoot on them,” Ashby observes.
Light creates what she calls “a settled sheen—subtle yet noticeable” across these surfaces. Fabrics throughout include “soft chenille, boucle, and alpaca wool—wrapping you up like a blanket of dreams.”
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Above The dining area features custom furniture designed to avoid “off-the-shelf shopping,” with natural materials supporting Ashby’s vision for gatherings of up to 20 people
Above The dining table features custom linens embroidered with wheat motifs that complement the brass lighting fixtures throughout the apartment, set on a travertine surface that Ashby describes as creating a cohesive flow throughout the space
The dining area features custom furniture designed to avoid “off-the-shelf shopping,” with natural materials supporting Ashby’s vision for gatherings of up to 20 people
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The main bathroom features three full-sized windows with a glass wall separating it from the hallway, allowing light to pass through while maintaining privacy. This solution drew from Ashby’s London experience: “Raising the walls to the ceiling would have lost valuable light, which would have broken my Londoner’s heart.”
Original plasterwork was preserved and enhanced with LED lighting. The living room’s floating oval installation paired with a low-profile chandelier evokes “a sky filled with shining constellations, referencing the curved ceilings of Parisian palaces.”
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Above The bathroom features a stonework which is echoed throughout the apartment
Above The main bathroom features three full-sized windows with glass walls that preserve light flow, a solution inspired by Ashby’s experience in London, where natural light is limited.
The bathroom features a stonework which is echoed throughout the apartment
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Above The bathroom’s curved basin and circular window demonstrate the apartment’s emphasis on flowing, organic forms within the 1911 Late Haussmann building
Above Fluted wood details and circular mirrors reflect Ashby's international design perspective, combining contemporary functionality with classical French architectural references
The bathroom’s curved basin and circular window demonstrate the apartment’s emphasis on flowing, organic forms within the 1911 Late Haussmann building
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Secret passages punctuate the space, including a concealed entrance in the main bedroom’s wardrobe that connects to the living area. “Secret doors in this house are an integral part of the experience; they evoke intrigue, romance and surprises,” Ashby explains. “You can’t truly host a decent party without having the option to disappear through a secret door.”
Panels surrounding these passages feature hand-painted wheat field motifs that transform into brass lighting fixtures, which Ashby describes as “a subtle nod to classic French culture, symbolising culinary heritage and nature.”
The kitchen features light travertine with grey stripes, creating visual continuity throughout the Parisian apartment, complemented by custom wine storage and built-in shelving
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Ashby’s international background—Russian birth, Florentine design education, London residence—informed her interpretation of Parisian living. “As someone with an international background, I wanted to show how a foreign eye perceives Paris and France,” she says.
This perspective is evident in details such as the YSL blue artwork in the hallway and Moroccan rug techniques featuring golden metallic bases. A Sacco Carpet sun rug pays tribute to Louis XIV through contemporary design.
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The main bedroom features hand-painted wheat field motifs that transform into brass lighting fixtures, with wallpaper creating what Ashby calls “a fully immersive experience."
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The colour palette reflects Paris itself.” While thinking about the colour scheme, I aimed to bring the outdoor vibe and the beauty of the city into the property,” Ashby explains. “Paris has always had an elegant mix of beige and grey on its building façades, which I felt would suit the living room. For the rest of the house, I opted for muted earthy tones—rich browns, dimmed reds, and touches of strong orange and yellow.”
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Above Custom bedside storage showcases the apartment's textural approach, with built-in shelving displaying curated objects alongside tone-on-tone wallpaper featuring subtle white and pink flowers
Above The second bedroom features travertine in the fireplace, demonstrating how each room references the others, creating a cohesive flow throughout the space
Custom bedside storage showcases the apartment's textural approach, with built-in shelving displaying curated objects alongside tone-on-tone wallpaper featuring subtle white and pink flowers
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The project involved extensive custom work and collaboration with brands including Dedar, Sacco Rugs, De Gournay, and Phillip Jeffries. “I aimed to avoid off-the-shelf shopping, specifying and designing nearly every piece of furniture, and also sourcing from vintage markets,” Ashby notes. The apartment functions as what she calls “a livable cabinet of curiosities,” where functional art, such as Natalia Katwal’s “Rupor,” amplifies the sound of an iPhone in the 60-square-meter living room.
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Above The main bathroom's travertine surfaces and custom vanity showcase the material continuity strategy, with the basin unit representing one of the spaces where travertine runs throughout the entire project
Above The main bathroom showcases three full-sized windows with a glass wall solution that preserves light flow
The main bathroom's travertine surfaces and custom vanity showcase the material continuity strategy, with the basin unit representing one of the spaces where travertine runs throughout the entire project
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The finished apartment embodies Ashby’s vision of domestic space as a social destination, where “you can certainly find a quiet spot to read a book, sip wine with a friend around a curved bar next to the window, or enjoy a cheerful celebration at the table.”
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Jennifer Choo is Regional Managing Editor of Tatler Homes, covering architecture, interior design, and art across Asia. Based in Malaysia, she oversees regional content on luxury residential design and contemporary art collections. Legally trained but choosing to pursue her passion for design, she previously led notable design publications and worked as an interior stylist and art consultant for property developers, design firms, and private clients.
