When I was young, I used to love going with my parents to the yearly Parade of Homes, which was a collection of newly built homes that were furnished and decorated for the event and then sold. I always thought they were so fancy and glamorous and imagined what it would be like to live in them.
None of them, however, were as glamorous as the “pretend”home I recently toured at the Artcurial on the Champs-Elysees. This exhibit, “AD Interieurs 2012- Voyages Imaginaires”, featured 13 decorators and designers who were allowed to create “rooms” that flowed into each other as if they were part of a house. According to this link from the Art Media Agency, “The carte blanche given to these decorators this year must allow them to express their relationship with art and emphasise the manpower in the creation sphere. Some of the decorators are experts, others emerging, however, they all follow the French tradition of large-scale events dedicated to decorative arts.”
The first room was labeled a library. I love the light fixture.
Check out this bathroom. It was impressive, even to someone from Texas who is accustomed to bathrooms big enough for entertaining.
A chaisse lounge? For resting apres le shower?
I thought this living room was really cool. Everything in it was very textured. The wall covering looked like tree bark.
I wasn’t sure what kind of room this was supposed to be. Lounging on very uncomfortable furniture, perhaps? But I loved the window treatments.
difficult shot- sorry about the glare
This next room was a dining room done entirely in Baccarat crystal. My pictures didn’t come out well, but you get the idea.
This was some kind of living area. It reminded me of an airline lounge, for some reason.
Cool acrylic bench- seemed to just hover in its space
Another crazy bathroom with three flat screens on the wall that showed different water scenes, with water sounds being piped into the room. Kind of made me need to use it, actually. This bathtub, made of wood, was attached to the wall and the top folded down. The faucets were all snakelike and appeared to simply rest on the bottom of the tub.
This was another living area. It felt the most “homey” to me. I loved the blue curtains and art.
My friend and I really enjoyed touring this “home”. Before we returned to our own homes, we shared a delicious cappuccino on a terrace of Le Notre, which was just across the street.
A very happy ending to a fun afternoon on the Champs-Elysees!
I posted a few more pictures from the exhibit on my facebook page.
Mais Oui Paris 