Home » Sunday » Home and Design
Creative touches fill artist's abode
By Yang Di |
July 3, 2011, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
Art abounds in the home of French artist Florence Reto. She has harmoniously combined her creative drives in this three-floor villa where her family of five has lived for three years.
Since moving to Shanghai in 2002, Reto has been sharing her time between her three sons, her work as an image director for fashion brand Eve NY and her passion for art.
Her canvas works are the interpretation of Chinese symbols by a French woman. Throughout the house, her paintings are mainly focused on themes such as the power of nature. She uses a lot of red and gold, which she considers a symbol of passion, energy, happiness and luck in China, and creates an immediate visual impact.
The 350-square-meter villa feels roomy and bright, with the sun shining profusely through high windows. The creative, artistic space was the result of a never-ending exercise of space-decorating ingenuity. A strong personality is infused with the homeowner's vibrant art creations.
Reto has created an East-meets-West ambience, but has married it with the easy-going lifestyle of a French family.
Their first home in the city was in a compound on Beihong Road close to the French school at the time, but she and her husband Xavier Pignel-Dupont decided to move to the Hongmei Villa compound due to its nice neighborly expat environment.
After having lived in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province for a year, they moved back to Shanghai and rented another villa house in the same compound. "The original situation was a very dark house but I had the right feeling. It is located in a quiet corner with lots of greenery outside the windows," she said.
The major changes included lightening the color of wooden floors, creating a new kitchen and enlarging the windows to let more light in. Reto finished the house renovation in only one month.
The relaxed, welcoming home is a veritable melting pot of style and experience, mixing a lifetime's collection of classic designs and chance acquisitions. There's no single style that stands out among their barrage of objects.
Everything from lounge sofas to lampshades, her fascinating mix of furniture and collectables are imbued with classic French elegance, Oriental influence and an ethnic twist.
She has used cream paint on the walls, and added vibrant, fun colors through fabrics and her artworks.
"The goal is to create a relaxed but elegant interior. And I need colors, like turquoise and purple," she said. "Sometimes it is difficult because I'm living with only boys so the house cannot be decorated too feminine."
Vintage furniture pieces, artworks and objects that the couple has collected over time are what make their home feel alive.
The arrangement of the house is straightforward. The front door opens to the spacious first floor which is divided into one big living and dining room and a family room. The French windows are placed opening on to a garden to improve the flow of space. Abundant natural light floods the space with handcrafted treasures.
The focal point here is the central seating area which features antique French sofas and armchairs from the era of Charles X, Louis XVI and Napoleon III. The artifacts on view are a combination of unique stone statues from China and Southeast Asia, among which the monkey stone statue is her favorite.
Reto loves to dress the chairs and sofas with an interesting color scheme, to give them new life. The rich blues, purples and browns are pulled together to create a warm, welcoming sitting area that looks particularly fine in the evening, lit by floor lamps, wall lights and the glow of the candles.
"My husband prefers old style but I have started to integrate more and more modern designs," she said. "All the lamps are modern which give a bright personality and become an eye-catching decoration."
Mix-matched textiles, accessories, furnishings and little details together bring a room to life simply because the objects reflect the homeowner's unique aesthetic.
When the couple hosts a dinner or home party, guests usually chill out in the seating area then move to the dining table. When the weather is nice, the family uses the garden a lot, which is perfect for weekend brunches.
The generous living area gets plenty of use in the evenings and at the weekends but the workshop on the second floor is where Reto spends most of her time. The room where she creates numerous artworks is relatively neutral, with white walls and customized furnishing.
The studio opens to the children's rooms where Reto enjoys painting, listening to music and communicating with her sons at the same time.
Compared to the eclectic style and mixed colors of the living areas and family rooms, Reto has decorated the kitchen and her master bedroom with a simple black and red color scheme. "It looks modern," she said.
Since moving to Shanghai in 2002, Reto has been sharing her time between her three sons, her work as an image director for fashion brand Eve NY and her passion for art.
Her canvas works are the interpretation of Chinese symbols by a French woman. Throughout the house, her paintings are mainly focused on themes such as the power of nature. She uses a lot of red and gold, which she considers a symbol of passion, energy, happiness and luck in China, and creates an immediate visual impact.
The 350-square-meter villa feels roomy and bright, with the sun shining profusely through high windows. The creative, artistic space was the result of a never-ending exercise of space-decorating ingenuity. A strong personality is infused with the homeowner's vibrant art creations.
Reto has created an East-meets-West ambience, but has married it with the easy-going lifestyle of a French family.
Their first home in the city was in a compound on Beihong Road close to the French school at the time, but she and her husband Xavier Pignel-Dupont decided to move to the Hongmei Villa compound due to its nice neighborly expat environment.
After having lived in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province for a year, they moved back to Shanghai and rented another villa house in the same compound. "The original situation was a very dark house but I had the right feeling. It is located in a quiet corner with lots of greenery outside the windows," she said.
The major changes included lightening the color of wooden floors, creating a new kitchen and enlarging the windows to let more light in. Reto finished the house renovation in only one month.
The relaxed, welcoming home is a veritable melting pot of style and experience, mixing a lifetime's collection of classic designs and chance acquisitions. There's no single style that stands out among their barrage of objects.
Everything from lounge sofas to lampshades, her fascinating mix of furniture and collectables are imbued with classic French elegance, Oriental influence and an ethnic twist.
She has used cream paint on the walls, and added vibrant, fun colors through fabrics and her artworks.
"The goal is to create a relaxed but elegant interior. And I need colors, like turquoise and purple," she said. "Sometimes it is difficult because I'm living with only boys so the house cannot be decorated too feminine."
Vintage furniture pieces, artworks and objects that the couple has collected over time are what make their home feel alive.
The arrangement of the house is straightforward. The front door opens to the spacious first floor which is divided into one big living and dining room and a family room. The French windows are placed opening on to a garden to improve the flow of space. Abundant natural light floods the space with handcrafted treasures.
The focal point here is the central seating area which features antique French sofas and armchairs from the era of Charles X, Louis XVI and Napoleon III. The artifacts on view are a combination of unique stone statues from China and Southeast Asia, among which the monkey stone statue is her favorite.
Reto loves to dress the chairs and sofas with an interesting color scheme, to give them new life. The rich blues, purples and browns are pulled together to create a warm, welcoming sitting area that looks particularly fine in the evening, lit by floor lamps, wall lights and the glow of the candles.
"My husband prefers old style but I have started to integrate more and more modern designs," she said. "All the lamps are modern which give a bright personality and become an eye-catching decoration."
Mix-matched textiles, accessories, furnishings and little details together bring a room to life simply because the objects reflect the homeowner's unique aesthetic.
When the couple hosts a dinner or home party, guests usually chill out in the seating area then move to the dining table. When the weather is nice, the family uses the garden a lot, which is perfect for weekend brunches.
The generous living area gets plenty of use in the evenings and at the weekends but the workshop on the second floor is where Reto spends most of her time. The room where she creates numerous artworks is relatively neutral, with white walls and customized furnishing.
The studio opens to the children's rooms where Reto enjoys painting, listening to music and communicating with her sons at the same time.
Compared to the eclectic style and mixed colors of the living areas and family rooms, Reto has decorated the kitchen and her master bedroom with a simple black and red color scheme. "It looks modern," she said.
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