WE ACTUALLY DISCOVERED the ultra-chic Paris apartment of Christine d’Ornano via Barbara, who used to write for TIG. d’Ornano, who works for the French botanical beauty brand, Sisley Paris, moved from London to Paris when she moved up in the company to the position of global vice president in 2018. A little background history: her father, Hubert d’Ornano and his brother Michel, created a perfume company called Jean d’Albret in 1946. The brothers, joined by their father, would go on to launch the skincare brand Orlane in the early 50s (a makeup line was eventually added as well). In 1976, Hubert d’Ornano acquired Sisley, a four-year-old perfume company that he renamed and began specialising in “phytocosmetology” (cosmetics based on botanical extracts), developing formulations with his wife (Christine’s mother), Countess Isabelle d’Ornano. Today, Sisley is still privately owned and a multi-million dollar luxury cosmetic, skin care, hair care, and perfume company, and Christine’s father considered cosmetics industry royalty (his grandfather Guillaume co-founded Lancôme in 1935).
Back to Christine d’Ornano and her move to Paris in 2018: she was lucky to find an apartment in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, a ground-level flat in an 18th-century hôtel particulier with a terrace in the back filled trees and flower beds. It was, of course, an old office space with partition walls and fluorescent lighting and needed a lot of work. But d’Ornano also managed to buy the floor above and hired architect Brenda Altmayer to joined the two floors with a turn-of-the-century staircase from the Porte de Clignancourt flea market (one of our favourite markets in Paris). The new arrangement became three bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs for herself and three teenage daughters, with a kitchen, dining room and guest room/office downstairs. In the kitchen, a large bow window opens on to the back garden. Other beautiful elements include crown mouldings and chevron wood floors, a dramatic marble backsplash in the kitchen, a marble bath and shower in one of the powder rooms, and art everywhere, and even Mario Bellini’s Camaleonda Sofa…
Scroll through for a glimpse.
Above, in a spare room, flowers in white porcelain by the Japanese artist Kaori Tatebayashi adorn the wall above the bed.
SHOP SISLEY-PARIS
