Icon - Arrow LeftAn icon we use to indicate a rightwards action. Icon - Arrow RightAn icon we use to indicate a leftwards action. Icon - External LinkAn icon we use to indicate a button link is external. Icon - MessageThe icon we use to represent an email action. Icon - Down ChevronUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - CloseUsed to indicate a close action. Icon - Dropdown ArrowUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Location PinUsed to showcase a location on a map. Icon - Zoom OutUsed to indicate a zoom out action on a map. Icon - Zoom InUsed to indicate a zoom in action on a map. Icon - SearchUsed to indicate a search action. Icon - EmailUsed to indicate an emai action. Icon - FacebookFacebooks brand mark for use in social sharing icons. flipboard Icon - InstagramInstagrams brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - PinterestPinterests brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - TwitterTwitters brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Check MarkA check mark for checkbox buttons.
You are reading

The Smallable Apartment: At Home with a Parisian Shopkeeper

Search

The Smallable Apartment: At Home with a Parisian Shopkeeper

July 17, 2015

Cécile Roederer’s giant online department store Smallable has been called the Net í  Porter for kids. She founded the site in 2008, when she was pregnant with her son, Charles, and she’s been on a roll ever since–in addition to fashion and toys, the store offers a full range of European children’s furnishings, from tepees to teen desks. 

How does the doyenne of petite French design herself live? We dropped in on her and her husband, Pierre, and their son in their grand but playful late-19th-century Paris apartment in the Haut Marais.

Photography by Pierre Rochand via Smallable, except where noted.

The Smallable Apartment At Home with a Parisian Shopkeeper portrait 3

Above: Cécile and Charles on an Indian hand-embroidered leopard throw by Lindell & Co. from India Mahdavi, one of Cécile’s regular shopping haunts for her apartment. (Other favorites: Merci, Caravane, and Sarah Lavoine.)  

smallable apartment paris 1 0

Above: The apartment is in a late-19th-century Haussmannian building with original details intact. “We’ve been living here for over 10 years, so we’ve renovated almost everything at some point, but we haven’t touched the layout or any of the fundamental aspects.” Photograph via Little Years.

The Smallable Apartment At Home with a Parisian Shopkeeper portrait 5

Above: “You don’t need very much to decorate this type of apartment,” Cécile tells us. “The trap, in my opinion, is to overdo the classicism and the Second Empire aspect by adding furniture from the same era. I like to have more contemporary, edgy pieces while keeping a certain sobriety.”

The sofa is a made-in-France Cinna design; the zebra came from Design et Nature, “two steps from the Place de Victoire; it’s less well-known than Deyrolle, but still essential.” Every room has an item or two from Smallable; here it’s the cowskin rug. Photograph via Little Years.

The Smallable Apartment At Home with a Parisian Shopkeeper portrait 6

Above: Hicks Hexagon, a David Hicks wallpaper design from Cole & Son, and a Jason Miller Modo Chandelier set a mod tone in the dining room. The table, with an Ioanna Vautrin vase, is surrounded by Cherner chairs. The chevron floors are original “and, incidentally, in need of being restored in certain places,” says Cécile. “They’re very sensitive to light, so we’ve ended up with strong contrasts between the different strips.”

(Go to our parquet post to learn how to spot the difference between Chevron and Herringbone, and take a look at Atelier du Granges’s Geometric Wood Flooring from France.)

The Smallable Apartment At Home with a Parisian Shopkeeper portrait 7

Above: An original glass-paneled door sections off the galley kitchen while allowing in light.

The Smallable Apartment At Home with a Parisian Shopkeeper portrait 8

Above: Prints by Julien Colombier hang outside Cécile and Pierre’s room (and hint at the wallpaper to come). The wool Tiger Rug is by Dylan Martorell by Moustache.

The Smallable Apartment At Home with a Parisian Shopkeeper portrait 9

Above: Cole & Son’s Palm Jungle, a seven-color wallpaper, creates a tropical headboard wall. 

The Smallable Apartment At Home with a Parisian Shopkeeper portrait 10

Above: An inset bookcase takes the place of a bedside table. The lights are Original BTC Hector Table Lamps that Cécile brought home from the office.

The Smallable Apartment At Home with a Parisian Shopkeeper portrait 11

Above: Charles’s room holds a changing array of Smallable’s bestsellers, including Offi’s Woody Table with a chalkboard top and storage recess in the center. Photograph via Little Years.

The Smallable Apartment At Home with a Parisian Shopkeeper portrait 12

Above: A bed by Leander of Denmark. Cécile is continually expanding her company’s reach. She’s begun offering furniture for the whole family and hopes to make Smallable a familiar name in the US. Photograph via Little Years.

Take a look at another Grand but Understated Paris Flat that we love.

On Gardenista, explore Odorantes, a Parisian Florist Where Flowers Are Arranged by Scent.





(Visited 716 times, 1 visits today)
You need to login or register to view and manage your bookmarks.

Product summary  

Have a Question or Comment About This Post?

Join the conversation

v5.0