Project Lumière
A Paris 20th Apartment Renovation for a French–Australian Couple
Immigration, like the creation of a new home, can be an intensely optimistic undertaking, guided by the belief that life can always be better than before.
Project Lumière is a full renovation of a Haussmannian apartment in Paris’s 20th arrondissement. The property had not been touched in over 30 years: its previous owner, an elderly woman, had lived there since her marriage, raising her children and building her entire life within these walls, before eventually selling after her husband’s passing.
For our clients—a French–Australian couple working in tech—this was their first home together in Paris.
The original Haussmannian layout, while elegant, no longer matched the lifestyle they envisioned. We reconfigured the plan to better align with their daily routines and priorities, centering the design around the kitchen - it was essential that this space became the heart of their home: a place for everyday connection as well as entertaining friends.
The design approach balances restoration of the apartment’s authentic French architectural character with material choices and luminosity inspired by one of the client’s home countries.
The result is a home that respects the heritage of Parisian interiors while also expressing a fresh, contemporary identity. In blending histories, cultures, and ways of living, this renovation transforms a Haussmannian apartment into a deeply personal sanctuary—taking the best elements of the couple’s pasts to begin writing the uniquely new future they seek.