Picture the craftsmen’s emphatic Gallic shrugs when Ramdane Touhami first presented them with the plans for the drawing room of his family’s new house design in Paris’ 9th Arrondissement.
The maverick French-Moroccan designer and entrepreneur, who runs his own creative agency, tasked them with paneling the walls with ebony burl; but the paneling needed to appear to peel away in the corners to reveal traditional moldings – suggesting another world behind this world.
Sitting Room: The fireplace is surrounded by tiles featuring tarot cards, a gift to former resident Jean-Claude Carrière from the filmmaker Luis Buñuel. A reproduction of the Kangaroo chair by Pierre Jeanneret is by Cassina
‘It was pretty complex to produce,’ acknowledges Ramdane of a process that involved soaking the wood for two months in order to achieve the precise curl he had in mind.
There is nothing mundane about the home Ramdane and his wife, Victoire de Taillac-Touhami – together the couple revived Cire Trudon, the world’s oldest candle manufacturer, and relaunched Jean-Vincent Bully, a 19th-century Parisian parfumerie as Officine Universelle Buly – share with their three children, aged between 17 and 22.
Kitchen: ‘I wanted this space to be warm and welcoming but also Mediterranean – which is where I’m from – and with a crafted feel,’ notes Ramdane of the aesthetic. The tiles, which were custom made in Umbria, were combined with steel appliances which serve to reflect the terracotta to ensure that it is the star of the show. Appliances, Gaggenau
From the kitchen, tiled head-to-toe in Etruscan-style terracotta, to the dining room, where giant illuminated spiders crawl across the ceiling, every space offers a glimpse into the mind of an irrepressible avant-garde creative.
‘I wanted a home where you have the impression of traveling from one room to the next, with a surprise behind each door,’ Ramdane explains.
Dining Room: Around the top of the space are the names of people who left their mark on the house, created by Ramdane’s own typography studio. Glass etching (within the bespoke cupboards), Christian Fournié. Furniture made by lacquer artisans
The family had been living in an apartment on the Left Bank when they learned that this house in the Pigalle district was for sale.
‘In typical Ramdane style, he had made an offer within two days,’ recounts Victoire, who is Buly’s brand and image director.
Study: This is Ramdane’s sanctuary where everything that is most precious to him goes,’ says Victoire. The swimming pool is across the way. Carpet designed by Ramdane Touhami
The house is one of a pair facing each other across a courtyard and it is steeped in history: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is believed to have rented the top floor when the lower floors were a brothel; the writers Stefan Zweig and Alphonse Allais both spent stints here; and during the art deco period it belonged to an artisanal rug maker who worked with the prestigious designer Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann.
Since the late 1970s, the building had been owned by the illustrious screenwriter, novelist, and actor Jean-Claude Carrière, who died a year before the couple bought it. ‘It was filled with his art collections and books,’ Victoire recalls.
Sitting Room: Sofa specialists originally deemed Ramdane’s designs too complex to make. In the end they found the technical solution and everyone is very proud of the result. For a similar floor lamp, try Vinterior
Apart from removing a mezzanine level on the uppermost floor, the pair didn’t touch the layout, and Victoire was happy to grant her husband free rein with the interiors.
‘This was a chance for us to experience living in Ramdane’s imagination,’ she says, adding, ‘He worked fast, visiting the site morning, noon, and night for nine months. He wanted to make every single decision.’
Sitting Room: The frames for the vintage Asafo flags are incorporated into the ebony burl panelling. Try Vinterior for an Eros black marble table by Angelo Mangiarotti. Adire African Textiles sourced vintage Asafo flags
Teams of craftsmen were enlisted, including lacquer artisans who created the glossy furniture and cupboard doors in the dining room, which resembles the glamorous Art Deco interior of an ocean liner.
For the living room’s low-slung seating – crafted from what appear to be giant felt-covered pipes – Ramdane tracked down talented specialists in the east of France. ‘Their first response to his designs was “non”, which in French is usually the starting point of the conversation. We never take it personally,’ laughs Victoire.
Bathroom: Ramdane has mixed colorful stones – Blue Bahia granite and Carrara, Rosso Levanto, Verde Guatemala and Rosa Tea marbles – to striking effect. Taps and shower fittings, Atelier Traditionnel du Vimeu. The Invisible Collection sells re-editions of the Satellite mirror by Eileen Gray and the sconce by Pierre Chareau
Her favorite space is the kitchen: ‘It was difficult for me to understand the design before I saw it but it is stunning; the terracotta gives a special warmth,’ she notes.
On the lower-ground level is a resistance swimming pool, which Ramdane created for Victoire, a keen swimmer. ‘Never in my mind did I imagine that I would have a pool in my basement,’ she marvels.
Bedroom: When Ramdane and Victoire bought the house, this space was an atelier with a mezzanine level. The plaster moldings have been painted in a gentle ombré effect. Try Vinterior for D90 beds by Carlo de Carli for Sormani
If pieces weren’t custom-made, they were sourced by Ramdane at auction or from flea markets, and this includes the chic Italian furniture in the couple’s bedroom.
‘All of us have these tiny, very elegant Italian beds – we live in an aesthetic dictatorship,’ quips Victoire, who is quick to point out the benefits of this autocracy: ‘We are surrounded by extraordinary things. For example, when you open the cupboards in the dining room, you see this amazing green lacquer. I’m mesmerized by its beauty every time.’
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