Home » Sunday » Home and Design
Red adds richness to villa
By Patsy Yang |
May 22, 2011, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
It's not difficult to guess the theme running through this home. Patsy Yang meets the French owner who loves the color red and turned an open space into an inviting area.
Florence Guillot went for things that felt rich, warm and inviting, which would make her family and visitors want to reach out, touch and feel them.
Her 250-square-meter villa house on Hongmei Road is vibrant, flamboyant and comfortable. She introduces colors such as red and black in unexpected places and uses fabrics sparingly, placing them for standout impact.
She perks up an eclectic combination of Asian styles with a sprinkling of Moroccan patterns, from lounge sofas to cushions - its intricate beauty seduces.
"I appreciate Zen atmosphere, but I ended up with an interior that incorporates bold colors and a rich and exotic mix of accessories and textures," Guillot said.
Throughout the two-floor space, an eclectic theme exudes a vivid but ethnic charm, which has evolved organically over the past four years rather than emerge from a decision to impose a deliberate theme. Good taste and an eye for beauty have resulted in the family home's relaxed, exotic ambience and balance of color.
Guillot and her husband Philippe Cé moved into this Shanghai house four years ago with their first daughter Margaux. Their second daughter Leonie was born here.
"We had seen about 100 houses and apartments before finding this one, but we immediately saw the potential in terms of volume and layout of this house," Guillot said. It is ideally hidden inside a nice villa compound with abundant natural light and a very open space corresponding to their lifestyle.
The open space offered a compelling opportunity to suggest alternatives and break some rules. Having worked as a fashion and costume designer in show business in Paris, Guillot approached the interior design as a stylist as well as an editor. She curates this interior, gathering the things that she loves, to make a living gallery of furniture, textiles, rugs, objects and artwork.
"I sometimes forgot about functional aspects of objects and would focus on design. For instance, I will get a very fashionable chair but it is absolutely not comfortable," she laughed, adding that her husband sometimes hates it.
However, the charm of this house lies in its unique style. The aim was not to create a clean, minimalist, practical home, but rather, a Bohemian lifestyle. She used color and pattern courageously, and every room in the two-storey space presented opportunities for a different mood.
The best part of the house is the large open space on the ground floor, with not so many walls but various living areas. There was almost nothing inside, which gave Guillot chances to give the couple's input for the internal layout as well as the kitchen design.
A round Chinese-style red shelf displaying at least 50 kokeshi (traditional wooden Japanese dolls) greets guests at the front door. The whimsical, playful theme is carried throughout the house, with fun items adorning every available nook and cranny.
The red-themed ground floor is composed of a series of sofa sets as lounge areas combined with an open American-style kitchen, work and play area. The result of having groups of sofa sets is far more soothing and relaxing than placing a central seating area in the living room. Without walls, the different seating areas are also a nice way to break up the space. "I don't need a divider or a solid wall," Guillot said.
"My house is like a souk (market) in Marrakech, a lot of colors and things," she said. Sofas with cushions in different patterns and colors make fabulous chill-out zones, a great place for home parties. The specially designed bar is also the place where the couple likes to share a bottle of wine with friends and visitors.
The sleek open kitchen, with a red and bright yellow color scheme, is their family room. "It's the place where you would most likely meet my family. We do not only cook and eat here, but sit to discuss, read the mail and do homework. It is the most strategic place in our house," Guillot said.
"From the kitchen, we have an overview of everything happening on the first floor."
Guillot has been inspired by places such as Morocco, Japan and China, and she has tried to recreate a mixed feeling here. All the rooms are designed independently of each other, but with a theme concept: colorful.
The kids are quite creative themselves and they both love bold colors in their rooms. "All of the rooms are full of colors except the master bedroom, with sober hues of oak, walnut and beige to make it as Zen as possible."
"There are plenty of places in Shanghai to get furniture with all kind of cultural influences. And if you can not find what you are looking for, it is always possible to have it custom made," Guillot said.
For her, it's really about moving things around, placing them in a position - whether on a floor, chair or table. She loves taking things and restoring or re-upholstering them, and making them into something special. She considers books, fabrics and small items are essential for decoration.
"The house is never finished, and I change pretty often depending on my findings and my mood. My favorite color red is always the color scheme."
Florence Guillot went for things that felt rich, warm and inviting, which would make her family and visitors want to reach out, touch and feel them.
Her 250-square-meter villa house on Hongmei Road is vibrant, flamboyant and comfortable. She introduces colors such as red and black in unexpected places and uses fabrics sparingly, placing them for standout impact.
She perks up an eclectic combination of Asian styles with a sprinkling of Moroccan patterns, from lounge sofas to cushions - its intricate beauty seduces.
"I appreciate Zen atmosphere, but I ended up with an interior that incorporates bold colors and a rich and exotic mix of accessories and textures," Guillot said.
Throughout the two-floor space, an eclectic theme exudes a vivid but ethnic charm, which has evolved organically over the past four years rather than emerge from a decision to impose a deliberate theme. Good taste and an eye for beauty have resulted in the family home's relaxed, exotic ambience and balance of color.
Guillot and her husband Philippe Cé moved into this Shanghai house four years ago with their first daughter Margaux. Their second daughter Leonie was born here.
"We had seen about 100 houses and apartments before finding this one, but we immediately saw the potential in terms of volume and layout of this house," Guillot said. It is ideally hidden inside a nice villa compound with abundant natural light and a very open space corresponding to their lifestyle.
The open space offered a compelling opportunity to suggest alternatives and break some rules. Having worked as a fashion and costume designer in show business in Paris, Guillot approached the interior design as a stylist as well as an editor. She curates this interior, gathering the things that she loves, to make a living gallery of furniture, textiles, rugs, objects and artwork.
"I sometimes forgot about functional aspects of objects and would focus on design. For instance, I will get a very fashionable chair but it is absolutely not comfortable," she laughed, adding that her husband sometimes hates it.
However, the charm of this house lies in its unique style. The aim was not to create a clean, minimalist, practical home, but rather, a Bohemian lifestyle. She used color and pattern courageously, and every room in the two-storey space presented opportunities for a different mood.
The best part of the house is the large open space on the ground floor, with not so many walls but various living areas. There was almost nothing inside, which gave Guillot chances to give the couple's input for the internal layout as well as the kitchen design.
A round Chinese-style red shelf displaying at least 50 kokeshi (traditional wooden Japanese dolls) greets guests at the front door. The whimsical, playful theme is carried throughout the house, with fun items adorning every available nook and cranny.
The red-themed ground floor is composed of a series of sofa sets as lounge areas combined with an open American-style kitchen, work and play area. The result of having groups of sofa sets is far more soothing and relaxing than placing a central seating area in the living room. Without walls, the different seating areas are also a nice way to break up the space. "I don't need a divider or a solid wall," Guillot said.
"My house is like a souk (market) in Marrakech, a lot of colors and things," she said. Sofas with cushions in different patterns and colors make fabulous chill-out zones, a great place for home parties. The specially designed bar is also the place where the couple likes to share a bottle of wine with friends and visitors.
The sleek open kitchen, with a red and bright yellow color scheme, is their family room. "It's the place where you would most likely meet my family. We do not only cook and eat here, but sit to discuss, read the mail and do homework. It is the most strategic place in our house," Guillot said.
"From the kitchen, we have an overview of everything happening on the first floor."
Guillot has been inspired by places such as Morocco, Japan and China, and she has tried to recreate a mixed feeling here. All the rooms are designed independently of each other, but with a theme concept: colorful.
The kids are quite creative themselves and they both love bold colors in their rooms. "All of the rooms are full of colors except the master bedroom, with sober hues of oak, walnut and beige to make it as Zen as possible."
"There are plenty of places in Shanghai to get furniture with all kind of cultural influences. And if you can not find what you are looking for, it is always possible to have it custom made," Guillot said.
For her, it's really about moving things around, placing them in a position - whether on a floor, chair or table. She loves taking things and restoring or re-upholstering them, and making them into something special. She considers books, fabrics and small items are essential for decoration.
"The house is never finished, and I change pretty often depending on my findings and my mood. My favorite color red is always the color scheme."
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