Multidisciplinary decorator Emilie Bonaventure founded her Parisian studio « be-attitude » in 2005 and has since strongly focused on the unification and interactivity of art, fashion, architecture and design.
An Art Historian with a diploma from the École du Louvre, Bonaventure’s responsible for designing the stands of Galerie Jacques Lacoste and Thomas Fritsch at many renowned international art events in Paris, Basel, London, New York and Miami.
Below, Bonaventure shares with MOJEH some of her insider tips and tricks for injecting a splash of personal style into your home décor.
1. Ergonomics is key; the size of the room must be in proportion to the size of the furniture, and each piece in turn relative to each other. I consider each object in a space to be a piece of one’s own personal puzzle. Even the overall style must be distributed fluently throughout a room.
2. Draw inspiration from current trends when choosing textiles and materials. I look to what’s happening in fashion and consider my clients’ personal tastes when selecting materials for a project.
3. Vintage lighting is the most elegant and gives a simple space a warming atmosphere. It not only sets off a decorative lighting, but also materials like brass, copper and zinc, which add a gentle touch to any space, especially in a room with simple white walls. This idea is reflected in how I designed Frenchie, a well-known and widely loved restaurant in Paris, which includes a broad selection of vintage lights – it creates a unique atmosphere.
4. Create a refined and, above all, original look to avoid having a ‘showroom’ perfect apartment. To make your space feel like your own, blend different pieces and furniture. It’s fundamental to ensure you don’t have a ‘catalogue perfect’ apartment. In my apartment, the living room is where objects and furniture come together. I typically venture off to the markets of Saint-Ouen where I find real treasures from the Fourties, Fifties and Sixties.
5. Creating a harmony with the interior and exterior of a room is imperative when designing your own space. When designing Thibault Chanel’s apartment, I kept in mind the ambience of the terrace in order to provide the client with a balanced and smooth environment.
