A Home Away From Home
Pied A Terre
“It took me some years to clear my head of what Paris wanted me to admire about it, and to notice what I preferred instead. Not power-ridden monuments, but individual buildings which tell a quieter story: the artist’s studio, or the Belle Epoque house built by a forgotten financier for a just-remembered courtesan.” — Julian Barnes
Amongst an arsenal of pithy bon mots, former Vogue and Harper’s fashion editor Diana Vreeland (1903-1989) once said that “the best thing about London is Paris”, and without wanting to appear incendiary, such proximity, at the very least, is certainly an enormous benefit, and one which thankfully, is outwith the wrecking ball of Brexit. Much like the rouge-cheeked queen of one-liners, who once professed “I loathe narcissism but adore vanity”, Paris is truly a city of contradictions — caught eternally between past and present, and for those London-based, it acts as a somewhat loftier, bohemian counterpoint to its hard-nosed, corporate cross-channel neighbour. For Vreeland the lure of Paris as the fashion capital of the world was obvious, but for anyone with an eye for beauty, it’s perfectly apparent that for much of the twentieth century, it was also the de facto art and design capital of the world. Of course, what’s so interesting about the “city of light”, is that it exists in a constant state of flux, in the sense that each century is inextricably bound up with the next — that which came before acting as a continual source of inspiration for new generations of creative talent. The pomp and grandiosity of eighteenth-century Paris inspired the Art Deco, with designers like André Arbus (1903-1969) and Jean-Michel Frank (1895-1941) re-interpreting the classic lines of the Louis XV style for a new generation of clients, who, in a rapidly changing world, preferred a pared-back and less ostentatious way of living. This in turn led to the work of great modernists, such as Pierre Chareau (1883-1950), whose now-iconic masterpiece Maison de Verre — perhaps somewhat poetically — is hidden behind the solemn porte-cochere of a historic hôtel particulier on Rue Saint-Guillaume, with its luminous glass block facade quite literally carved out of the lower three floors of an existing building. With a constant ebb and flow of creative talent, Paris very quickly became the epicentre of the European avant-garde, having an extraordinary impact not only in terms of visiting collectors, such as Gertrude Stein (1874-1976) and Marguerite “Peggy” Guggenheim (1889-1979) — who, after an entree into the city’s artistic and intellectual circles, became a self-professed “art addict”, buying “a painting a day” — but also in terms of its exports; perhaps most famously, twentieth-century art world power couple Dominique (1908-1997) and John de Ménil (1904-1973), thought of as the “Medici of modern art”, who, having made a home for themselves in Houston, Texas, turned it into a cutting-edge cultural mecca. However, outwith the lofty auspices of the avant-garde, during the mid-twentieth century, Paris was a city suffocating under the heavily ornamented weight of its Haussmannian remodel and seemed at risk of becoming overly saccharine and sentimental, suffering from what Andrée Putman (1925-2013) described as “too much Louis and too many flowers”. Fortunately, then as now, there were those who saw a way out of such uninspired banality, and, in particular, interior designer and architect Isabelle Hebey (1935-1996), a pioneer of mixing antique and modern — haute époque, Mies, Art Nouveau and Aulenti — who cured the French bourgeoisie of their penchant for stale period pastiche and butter-cream mouldings: “For me,” she said in 1969, “nothing compares to a piece of Boulle furniture placed before a wall clad in steel”. This is clearly something with which French couturier Hubert de Givenchy (1927-2018) agreed wholeheartedly, and with his first apartment at 4 rue Fabert, he told himself “there would be no damask with the Boulle cabinet”. Enlisting the help of art world darling and decorator Charles Sevigny (b. 1918), he stripped away the clumsily contrived Napoléon III details, replacing them with mirrored walls, neutral upholstery, and a panoply of eighteenth-century antiques, juxtaposed against modern and contemporary art by the likes of Rothko (1903-1970), Miró (1893-1983), de Staël (1914-1955) and Picasso (1881-1973).
The Pied A Terre Tuileries Residence, © Pied A Terre, Ludovic Balay
The Pied A Terre Tuileries Residence, © Pied A Terre, Ludovic Balay
In part, it’s this constant mercurial tension between old and new that keeps the city alive, constantly evolving and moving forward, bringing lessons of the past to the fore for a new generation of young talent eager to reinterpret and build upon those greats of twentieth-century modernism who re-defined genres and broke down pre-conceived ideas and notions of how we should live and work in a city. This is a principle applicable across artistic genres — and indeed those in such industries will often speak of how they design, buy and create based not purely on market forces, but on their own unique, individual taste — confident that if they aim only for the best, there will always be an audience, regardless of the fripperies of fads and fashions. Such a design-led approach has been taken by co-founders Andrea Bokobsa (b. 1991) and Nathaniel Glas (b. 1983) at Pied-A-Terre Paris, a series of luxury “residences” — which combine the sort of concierge service and clean linens one might expect at a luxury hotel with the privacy and flexibility of a private apartment. We recently stayed at the Pied A Terre Tuileries residence, with interiors by Necchi Architecture, which, much like the iconic Maison de Verre, is tucked away, at the back of a courtyard on rue du Marché Saint-Honoré. The entrance, as perhaps only to be expected, is somewhat more conventional, but glass blocks are a recurring feature throughout the apartment decor, though this time in tribute to Putman’s immediately identifiable “paw”, as the French put it — as is also evident in the black and white tiled bathrooms with their checkerboard motif and the use of brushed stainless steel throughout (not to mention two enormous vases of fresh Calla lilies, as if the fabled French designer had herself just returned home from Le Marché aux Fleurs). Although every square inch has been “designed”, by no means is the decor overwhelming, and when experienced amongst a treasure trove of vintage furniture finds (as well as new pieces by the likes of up-and-coming London-based artist and designer Elliot Barnes), it gives the impression of the sort of carefully curated and achingly sophisticated apartments seen splashed across the pages of the now-defunct Le Décor D’Aujourd’hui. (As a caveat, Tuileries has no air conditioning, and so if that’s a deal-breaker you might instead prefer to stay at the nearby Adrien Meira-designed Saint Honoré residence, with views onto the late-baroque Church of Saint-Roch, which, perhaps aptly, is known as the artists’ parish). Years in the making, Bokobsa — who was born in Paris and studied real estate in the United States, came up with the idea for Pied A Terre as part of his final year thesis. Over coffee at Palais Royal, overlooking its avenues of carefully clipped lime trees, Bokobsa enthused about his passion for art and design (in part inspired by his mother, a former designer for Baby Dior and Bonpoint) and talked excitedly about where he hopes to take the company in coming years. With that in mind, we spoke again, a little more formally, about his likes, dislikes and why — when not procrastinating — he’s probably planning his next meal at one of the city’s many great eateries.
The Pied A Terre Palestro Residence, © Pied A Terre, Romain Laprade
The London List: Given Pied A Terre clearly has such a strong aesthetic; how did your interest in interiors, architecture and design come about?
Andrea Bokobsa: So I think a large part of this steers back to how Pied A Terre was founded in the first place. I’ve been passionate about architecture from a very early age, and I’ll travel to experience creativity and good design. I don’t know where this comes from but I’ve just always had a natural affinity and appreciation for well-thought-out objects and spaces.
Induced confinement during the global pandemic led a good many of us to reassess what the concept of “home” really means, and, now we’re once again allowed to travel, something more personal, or rather a “home away from home” seems far more appealing than bland identikit hotel rooms. Would you say this change of attitude has played a role in your approach at Pied A Terre?
We don’t like to say we’re a consequence of the pandemic but I do believe it accelerated some behaviours that were already at play. Pied A Terre was, by complete chance, launched during the pandemic and this change in attitude you speak of has allowed us to finesse certain elements of our offering further, such as increased privacy and discretion.
The rampant popularity of social media platforms has led to a somewhat bizarre situation in which interiors are being designed so as to be “Instagrammable” spaces, often to the detriment of the overall in-person experience. Pied A Terre clearly has a carefully crafted and curated public image, not only in terms of the apartments themselves but also in respect of your Instagram and advertising; did the idea of appearing “editorial” in any way influence your choices in terms of aesthetic?
We founded Pied A Terre with the aim of creating something different — to carve out a new and distinct market — something that was lacking in the hotel and travel sector, and which manifests itself in our relationship with the design and services offered in our residences. Above all else, we think about comfort and aim for simple, elegant design, and with that as a baseline, we allow our partner architects free reign in terms of creating an overall aesthetic. We believe that Instagram is a vehicle to open up the world of design, in the sense that — if you understand it and appreciate the thought, then the reality will never disappoint. It’s actually interesting you use the word editorial, as we like to think we pull together the perfect vitrine, or showroom, to give you a look, feel and taste of Pied A Terre — but not too much. We don’t believe we should be dictating what your stay with us looks or feels like, and by creating a certain sense of distance we leave it to our guests to experience and enjoy the space for themselves.
The Pied A Terre Saint Honore Residence, © Pied A Terre, Romain Laprade
In relation to that, your photography is wonderful, and a far cry from the sort of overly-saturated soulless imagery seen across the majority of print media. What led you to decide on a more artistically driven approach, where the preoccupation isn’t simply with showing estate-agent style wide-angle imagery?
We believe working with a full suite of creatives is the only way to bring Pied A Terre to life online. This extends not just to the architects that we use but also the photographers and set designers who allow us to digitally express our spaces and even the art director — Pierre-Alexis Guinet — who designed our hand-illustrated room directory. To my mind, the opportunity for creativity and to create design-led spaces doesn’t stop when the walls go up, or rather, with the physical architecture.
Each and every apartment in the Pied A Terre portfolio has been designed by a different architect, and yet, whilst independently, they’re each entirely unique, and for that matter, original, which is in itself a mean feat given the general ubiquity of contemporary design, at the same time, they manage to gel as a complete unit. How do you go about choosing a designer, and for that matter, was a sense of overall coherence an important factor in your approach?
We’ve built our business on the belief that nothing rivals the impact of a meaningful experience. Luxury is best felt when there’s a match between practicality and comfort —but also the environment in which it’s experienced. We want to make people feel at home. To achieve this we work with those who share our same beliefs — who deal in fresh ideas, whilst at the same time, ensuring they provide a level of practicality and comfort necessary for our guests to feel at home and to get the most out of their stay. Fostering the vision of young architects and designers is fundamental to what we do. We’re looking to challenge the status quo and become a key player in the growing short-term rentals market. We want to work with those keen to push boundaries and to carve out the sort of spaces our guests won’t necessarily have seen before. It’s as simple as that. really. When embarking on any new project we provide a detailed list of interior specifications — which ensures all our spaces are coherent in terms of their services and amenities, even though they all feel and look different. We then let them take care of the details, crafting the entire scheme with little or no input. It’s perhaps unusual for architects and designers to have 100% freedom in designing residential properties, as they usually have to take account of their client’s taste, as well as any existing furniture or works of art. We offer them the opportunity to create the entire mood and story for a residence, which, outside practical restraints of designing for hospitality, they're essentially free to design down to the very last detail.
The Pied A Terre Tuileries Residence, © Pied A Terre, Ludovic Balay
On that note, you tend to work with up-and-coming architects who are at an early stage in their careers; was it a deliberate choice and how much free reign do you allow them in developing a scheme?
We like to work with architects and designers who have something original to offer — keen to carve out the sort of spaces our guests won’t necessarily have seen or experienced before and to push boundaries. It’s as simple as that.
In each apartment you use a lot of vintage pieces, for example, Rodney Kinsman dining chairs and Jakobsson wall lights, which is an enormous factor in them feeling much more like a private home than a commercial entity. Was this your own idea or did it come from the designers you worked with?
This is a collaborative process, and working on a smaller scale we have the luxury of choosing pieces that wouldn’t be available in sets of twenty. There’s also a huge supply of eighty-plus years of design and furniture that could be given a second life in the right setting —and it makes building our residences all the more fun; ensuring they feel much more authentic than the usual generic hotel room and giving the sort of home away from home feel you just won’t find anywhere else.
Paris clearly has its fair share of places to stay, including, perhaps most famously, the Ritz, then there’s the recently opened Cheval Blanc, Château Voltaire, and, of course, a multitude of luxury Airbnbs; but would I be right in saying that with a concierge, cleaning and turn down service, Pied A Terre manages to bridge the gap for those looking for something a little different, and perhaps a little more personal?
Yes without a doubt, and similarly people respond well to brands and we want to build a culture within which people can also associate their values. It’s very hard to find luxury AirBnBs that are both professionally managed and offer good design and finishes to match. Private owners will hardly ever list their own apartments on AirBnB. A concierge service will manage luxury AirBnBs but the majority, at least in my opinion, feel generic and uninspired. We try to tell a different story at each residence and it’s all about bringing together those elements, or, rather, finding the right match, so as to provide a good-looking and comfortable place to stay. We’re happy to work with our guests to build experiences and will do whatever it takes to make that happen. We want to offer an immersive environment, to give our guests an idea of what it feels like to live in Paris as a native Parisian. Our residences are located in residential and mixed-use buildings in the centre of Paris, which offers this real-life sensation. This, as well as the originality of our spaces, sets us apart from hotels.
Despite Pied A Terre taking a completely different approach in terms of creating a modern, design-led series of apartments, which aren’t necessarily what one might expect in a city that so enthusiastically embraces tradition; would you say your guests leave feeling they’ve had an authentic Parisian experience?
Pied A Terre is all about showcasing the new face of Paris, the real face of Paris, that for so long the city seemed to conspire to keep hidden. We want to make sure our guests get to live like a cool local and leave Paris with lasting memories — and that’s achievable because of the locations we immerse ourselves in.
You’re planning on a further seven properties in the coming year, which will amount to twelve in total; but do you worry that with such an extensive portfolio you risk losing the uniqueness that currently makes Pied A Terre so appealing?
We’re adding three additional properties with seven apartments in total — and as with our existing residences, each will have its own design. We don’t really worry about losing our uniqueness because ultimately there’s no shortage of ideas or designers to express them. We believe we could easily grow to twenty or thirty residences in Paris before feeling the need to expand into a different city.
On a more personal note, given Pied A Terre is, inherently, about creating design-driven interiors; what’s your favourite room in your own apartment and why?
It would have to be my living room. I’m an avid film fan and love listening to music, so it’s important for me to have a great sound system; the acoustics are fantastic and after a long week at work there’s a spot on the sofa where I like to relax and unwind with the things Iove.
If not too controversial a question, which of the Pied A Terre apartments would you choose to live in yourself?
How can you ask someone to choose their favourite child!
What’s your favourite work of design?
I love the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and, for that matter, all of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. It’s universally enjoyable — I went there as a kid and loved the idea of running around it, but equally, as an adult, I’ve come to appreciate how it’s the perfect environment to tell a story across multiple artistic genres.
What was the first important piece of art you ever owned?
About fifteen years ago I bought one of Benjamin Sabatier’s works — it’s called A049 and part of a much larger series exploring how iconic brands resist time both physically and societally.
Which artists, or designers, would you collect if you could?
The list is fairly long but if I had to choose, I’ve always dreamed of owning any piece of furniture or sculpture by Les Lalanne, or an original Jean-Michel Frank coffee/chess table — two radical opposites but there’s something in their work that moves me.
An object you would never part with?
I was given a watch by my grandmother, it has no brand and isn’t gold or made from anything fancy but I find its design a perfect sum of balancing parts. It’s a reminder that a more modern way of doing things isn’t always the best option.
The Pied A Terre Tuileries Residence, © Pied A Terre, Ludovic Balay
What was the last thing you bought and loved?
Recently I bought a monograph celebrating the work of Ward Bennett by Pilar Viladas — two copies actually! It’s an examination of his work across different periods. He’s one of my favourite designers, and so it’s nice to have a copy I can flick through and another to preserve.
What would you like to own that you currently don’t possess?
As a music lover, without a doubt, it would have to be custom shelves — or even better, a library — with built-in Ojas speakers. I was lucky enough to experience the sound at a friend’s apartment and it’s indescribable — I’ve never heard music that sounded so pure and natural. Another example of functional, simple and elegant design.
What’s the best gift you’ve been given?
The opportunity to study abroad. It changed the way I saw the world and my own future.
What’s your biggest extravagance?
Food, without a doubt. Well, not so much food, but more eating out at restaurants. I’m completely obsessed; it’s literally a plate of consumable creativity — what’s not to love!
The site that most inspires you?
Again, it has to be the Guggenheim in New York.
Where’s the most unforgettable place you’ve travelled?
The Sabi Sands Game Reserve in South Africa and the Aeolian Islands in Sicily. Two completely different destinations — but both showcase how one can feel completely humbled by nature.
Where would you like to go next?
Japan, and not just Tokyo but the whole country. The islands, the countryside, the mountains, the secondary cities, I want to spend a couple of weeks there.
Tell us about a recent “find”?
An Instagram-based discovery, but that doesn’t make him any less brilliant; the designer Elliot Barnes — his lamps are now at our Tuileries Residence.
If you didn’t live in Paris, where would you live?
Los Angeles. I lived and worked there for a year when I was finishing up college and I think I have a nostalgic yearning for how I felt during that time.
If you had to limit your shopping to one neighbourhood, in one city, which would you choose?
Florence, without a doubt. I love the specialist shops you stumble across, whether tailors that have been making white shirts for the past hundred years or vintage clothes shops. It’s a city that has preserved itself not just in the architecture but also in its respect for artisanal skills. If you’re visiting you have to go and eat at Buca Lapi — in between Palazzo Strozzi and Santa Maria Novella — and of course Procacci for its truffle sandwiches!
What’s your biggest indulgence?
Procrastination
What’s the best book you’ve read in the past year?
Confessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy. It’s more than just advertising and his personal anecdotes, it’s about the power of honesty, the power of the past on the future, and how to foster creativity in those who work in your space.
What would you do if you didn’t work in hospitality?
I’m a football fanatic. I’ve loved it forever. I imagine I would have liked to have been involved on the management end of a club.
What ambition do you still have?
Taking Pied A Terre international and making it a reference in the luxury hospitality space
What’s the greatest challenge of our time?
Unmanaged consumption, across all fields and in all factions of life.
What’s next?
We have a lot in the works but I don’t want to give it all away. Pied A Terre is in constant evolution and we’re working tirelessly to develop and deepen the experience we offer our guests. We have seven new residences going live soon — and are working on getting our first building live by the end of the year. It will have all different types of residences. This is currently in conversation. We’re focusing primarily on our Paris branch of Pied A Terre — expanding on the Left Bank and St Germain but plans to conquer London and New York aren’t too far off either!