Hidden beauty

shouldn't judge a book by its cover, neither should you judge a home by its façade. In the south of the 16th arrondissement in Paris, there sits an unassuming apartment block built in 1962. What one might not expect from this modest exterior, however, is that housed within its indistinct walls is an apartment bursting with colour and personality.

"I was born in the south of France and, so naturally, all my life was dominated by the colours, the lights and the sun," says Fabrice Ausset, an interior designer and the owner of this vividly hued abode. "My life philosophy is all about creating or re-creating astonishing places with quality but rich in emotions. It's all about the magic that operates between the existing architecture and the construction of a décor along with a minimum of details that build harmony between objects and colours."

Ausset and his family were looking for a change in their lives and ended up finding the 186-square-metre apartment in this rather chic area of Paris. The refurbishment of the three-bedroom space took one year and almost €400,000 (HK$4.2 million) to complete and, Ausset says, the resulting look reflects his particular tastes and design views.

Ausset attributes his love for diversity and mixing and matching to some of the biggest names in design, referencing the American duo Greene & Greene and Japanese architect Tadao Ando as two of his sources of inspiration - not to mention his French upbringing. "In France we say that for a dish to be appetising, it has to be created with a contrast of crunchy and soft textures, hot and cold temperatures, bitter and sweet flavours," he explains.

"The same [applies to] the spaces I create. I design them with both dark and bright, graphic and soothing, structured and fluid [elements]."

In the living room, for example, the designer decided to cover the original walls with a dark, textured resin and chose unusual finishes, such as woven materials and old crates, for elsewhere in the apartment.