Friedmann & Versace is the interior design duo everyone is talking about.
The world of catering and hospitality is fighting for them.
The decor of the Bambini restaurants in Paris and Megève, Orgueil, the new look of Mosuke, the Michelin-starred restaurant of chef Mory Sacko, the La Pérouse hotel in Nice... It's them, Virginie Friedmann and Delphine Versace.
No wonder individuals are starting to flock to their studios.
Among their first residential projects, a chalet on 3 levels of 600 m², a place for living with family and entertaining, which combines elegance and singularity.
Guided tour of this extraordinary house by this pair who speak with one voice.
The starting point
“This chalet is, in reality, an old alpine farm from the 18th century.
The rehabilitation work lasted three years.
We intervened last year.
It was quite a delicate project because many parts of the building are listed, including the roof and the frame, the beams, etc. The owners are lovers of Megève and this house was a project that was close to their hearts.
Great sportspeople, they wanted to be able to come there with their 4 children who are between 2 and 10 years old, and also welcome their friends because they really like to entertain.
They called on us to think about the flows, circulation, layouts and add the decorative touch.
The chalet is spread over 3 levels.
The first floor is a reception space, common living, with lounges, the kitchen, the dining room, a wine cellar... The upper level is dedicated to the master suite.
As for the garden level – under the first floor but which opens onto the outside – it accommodates bedrooms, particularly those for children, each with their own bathroom.
We wanted to create a harmonious, welcoming atmosphere which notably required a lot of work on the materials.
We also relied on local know-how.”
The first level
On a 300 m² plateau, several living spaces have been set up, such as this cozy little living room which opens onto the mountain.
Friedmann & Versace
“This first level is a huge space: a plateau of around 300 m².
Our objective was to organize it without partitioning it too much so as not to disrupt the volumes.
The challenge, however, is to be able to have several experiences at the same time without one disturbing the other.
Children can have fun there while parents read or are with their friends.
Everyone can live together.
We have installed in front of one of the large windows, a first living room which opens onto a terrace and above all the mountain.
The latter and the magnificent nature which surrounds the chalet constitute the common thread of the decoration with materials, colors, textiles which evoke this environment.
In summer the bay window can be fully opened and you are both inside and outside.
We designed this living room as a convivial space where you can have tea or relax alone or with others.
The mohair fabric sofa from Pierre Frey is truly an invitation to laziness.
Our studio designed almost all of the furniture.
However, some pieces were found and others purchased from different houses.
In the evening, we meet around the custom-made onyx and walnut bar.
Friedmann & Versace
Same tailor-made approach for the bar that we designed for the place.
It measures 4 meters long.
The bar area is the one dedicated to the party.
Here we have also multiplied the references to the mountains with a blue-green onyx counter which evokes rivers and a walnut facade sculpted by cabinetmaker Didier Villancher.
The stools are covered in a fabric chosen for its plant motifs from Antoine d'Albiousse.
The only truly partitioned room on the first level, a very welcoming cinema lounge which overlooks the fireplace area (in the back).
Friedmann & Versace
There is also a cinema lounge, the only one that is partitioned to avoid noise.
On the walls, we hung works from the Armel Soyer Gallery as, moreover, in many other rooms of the chalet.
The fireplace area is enhanced by moss green earthenware tiles developed for this project with Céramiques du Beaujolais.
Friedmann & Versace
Obviously, there is a fireplace area.
A must-have in a chalet!
Our customers had purchased an insert.
We camouflaged it in moss-colored glazed earthenware tiles developed specifically for this project with Céramiques du Beaujolais.
We also created an earthenware bench which allows you to sit near the fire, to create conviviality.
We chose the sofa which is near the fireplace at Cassina and we covered it in a very beautiful Dedar velvet whose shades evoke meadows.
The carpet is a real field of flowers!
The wooden frame being classified, we of course kept the exposed posts.
However, we had to camouflage the concrete bases which had been added during the work to consolidate the structure weakened by time.
To avoid the solid side of concrete, we dressed these bases in wood and we asked a painter to come and draw thistles on them.
The 4.5 meter long sideboard specifically created for this kitchen immediately catches the eye.
Friedmann & Versace
The kitchen is semi-partitioned in particular because it is adjoining technical areas, the cold room and the cellar, which we could not leave open.
We have integrated a long buffet which refers to those that we could once see at herbalists' shops.
It measures 4.50 m long and allows you to store all the dishes.
Its burgundy color, a little raspberry, varies depending on the light and the time of day.
The large island, the top of which is cut from a slightly pinkish marble, allows you to cook but also to eat, to have a drink sitting on the stools which are made of wood, and whose seat is made from a fabric from Antoine d' Albiousse.
The Friedmann & Versace studio designed a huge wooden table for the dining room area bathed in overhead light.
Friedmann & Versace
The dining area is on the other side of the “cold room” and the cellar.
We really needed our customers to be able to accommodate many friends and family.
This is why we designed a very large walnut table with slightly folk chairs: there are nods to the mountain style but with a contemporary vision.
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The parental suite
A master suite like a refuge under the roof.
Friedmann & Versace
“The 2nd floor was designed as a refuge at the top of the chalet.
It accommodates the parental suite.
It's very cozy with the exposed beams of the frame.
We broke up this “cocoon” look a little with a wave-shaped headboard in a mustard striped fabric from Gaston y Daniela and very playful lamps that we designed.
From the window of the large bathroom adjoining the master suite, you can admire the mountain.
Friedmann & Versace
Adjoining the bedroom, there is a large bathroom with a piece of furniture with twisted legs that we had made by the same cabinetmaker who worked on the bar.
We have kept the large opening in the roof which allows you to see the mountains.
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The rooms on the ground floor
Dominant blue for a young girl's bedroom.
Friedmann & Versace
“On the garden level, there are several bedrooms.
For one of our clients' daughters, we worked on shades of blue.
The wallpaper covering one of the walls was chosen from Soane Britain while we upholstered the headboard with an embroidered fabric from Schumacher.
For the other walls, we preferred to retain the historic coatings and woodwork.
This reminds us that we are on an old farm.
A headboard with a deer motif as a nod to the surrounding nature and fairy tales.
Friedmann & Versace
For the youngest daughter in the family, we imagined a slightly different bedroom with a red headboard with doe motifs - a fabric selected from Antoine d'Albiousse - leaning against a wall covered with wallpaper from Soane Britain .
We had fun with games of scale around the lamps: small ceramic wall lights combined with slightly larger bedside lamps.
It's happy and sweet.
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Contact Friedmann & Versace:
friedmann-versace.com