For one newly married American couple, the romantic allure of the French capital deepened into something permanent after they celebrated their wedding ceremony in Paris. Amid the shutter clicks of their wedding photographer on the historic Place Dauphine, a whimsical fantasy began to take root. As his wife voiced a heartfelt desire to acquire a permanent foothold in the City of Love, the husband made a decisive proclamation. He told his wife that she could pick any apartment in the city, provided it was located on the iconic Place Dauphine. Shortly thereafter, defying typical real estate odds, the couple successfully secured a compact 538-square-foot home directly on the square, transforming it into a cozy and intimate pied-à-terre.
To turn this ambitious vision into a physical reality, the couple enlisted the expertise of AD100 interior designer Jessica Helgerson. Splitting her time and offices between Paris and Portland, Oregon, Helgerson holds dual citizenship and has earned a widespread reputation for crafting exceptionally balanced interiors across a remarkably diverse spectrum of styles. Eschewing any single, repetitive signature look, Helgerson approaches each project as a unique creative endeavor. For her, the true joy of design lies in invention rather than imitation, making her uniquely suited to tackle the distinct spatial challenges of a historic European apartment.
When the clients first approached the designer, they shared a very specific and atmospheric conceptual goal. They wanted their new Parisian home to evoke the enchanting, mysterious atmosphere of a traditional cabinet of curiosities. For a one-bedroom apartment boasting such modest square footage, the prompt proved to be an ideal conceptual framework. Helgerson’s mind immediately gravitated toward two distinct visual touchstones: the striking robin’s-egg blue glass wall featured in the Natural History Museum in Manhattan and the famed Parisian taxidermy and curiosity shop, Deyrolles, which shares that exact same captivating hue. Observing that robin’s-egg blue serves as an extraordinarily effective backdrop for showcasing decorative objects and artifacts, Helgerson wove the color seamlessly throughout the residence. The shade reappears thoughtfully across the dining table’s covering, the organic egg-shaped surface of the custom coffee table, the rich upholstery of the living room sofa, and the enveloping walls of the intimate bedroom.
Grounding the diminutive living and dining space required a monumental anchor, which Helgerson achieved by introducing a large 17th-century German Renaissance cabinet. The antique piece fit the room with astonishing precision, belonging to the exact historical era of the building and matching the precise dimensions of the apartment’s largest wall. This magnificent cabinet serves as the primary repository for the home’s collection of tiny treasures, displaying them neatly on shelves lined with green fabric. By consolidating these delicate curiosities within the cabinet, the rest of the apartment’s surfaces remain refreshingly free of clutter, allowing the compact home room to breathe and maintain a sense of visual serenity.
The material and decorative palette throughout the apartment remains deliberately restrained to prevent the space from feeling overcrowded. In the living area, a custom sleeper sofa designed by Helgerson and fabricated by Atelier d’Argentat is upholstered in a rich teal mohair velvet from Claremont. Nearby, a pair of 1950s Alfred Christensen armchairs, sourced from Galerie LMG and upholstered in genuine sheepskin, sit in front of the Renaissance cabinet. The coffee table base, commissioned from Fabienne L’Hostis at Galerie Signée, pairs with a top crafted from raku-fired ceramics. This ceramic surface mimics the exact graphic blue-green and red pattern found in the leaded glass windows of the apartment’s entrance and kitchen. The interior windows were specifically designed by Helgerson to filter out an unappealing view of a building elevator shaft, drawing their decorative motif of crosses and red circles directly from the exterior iron railings of the building itself.
Additional artisanal touches enrich the main living space. The curtains are tailored from Rogers & Goffigon’s Béchaudel Basil fabric, while the floor is warmed by a custom wool rug fabricated by Cumellas Barcelona. To the left of the dining area lies the newly reconfigured entrance to the kitchen, while the main apartment entry sits to the right. Above the mantel, an ebonized mirror designed by Helgerson echoes the baseboard details of the Renaissance cabinet and was meticulously constructed by Renaissance et Restauration. Flanking the mirror are tobacco leather wall sconces by Walcott from Giobagnara, complemented by a 1970s hanging brass candelabra crafted by Michael Harjes and sourced from Galerie LMG.
A small hallway introduces visitors to further artistic expression, highlighted by a portrait created by painter Elen Bezhen, whom Helgerson discovered on Instagram. Bezhen is known for crafting photorealistic Renaissance-style portraits set against unexpected modern backdrops. Beneath the painting sits an 18th-century desk discovered at the renowned Saint-Ouen flea market, paired with a vintage red stool designed by George Nelson and produced by Herman Miller. A 1970s German bronze candlestick from Galerie LMG illuminates this compact workspace.
The kitchen continues the apartment’s vibrant yet disciplined color story with pistachio-hued walls and an oak pantry cabinet designed by Helgerson and built by Renaissance et Restauration. A standout feature of the kitchen is its custom countertop made of custom-enameled lava stone by Pyrolave from Pierredeplan—a rare and tactile material choice for a kitchen workspace. The walls are lined with enameled tiles from Aire Azur Paris, a surface treatment that Helgerson deliberately carried over into the adjoining bathroom, where the bathtub and walls are wrapped in matching tiles alongside red cinnamon lava stone and terracotta floor tiles.
The bedroom is intentionally dedicated entirely to sleep and storage, designed compactly without compromising visual equilibrium. A former, out-of-commission chimney flue was ingeniously transformed into a cozy bed niche, making it appear as though the architectural feature had always been intended for that purpose. Draped over the bed is an antique cream coverlet sourced from Defrise, reflecting Helgerson’s self-described obsession with old French linens and injecting a touch of timeless, old-world charm into the otherwise contemporary sleeping quarters.
Despite housing an abundance of fine antiques, custom artisanal elements, and intricate design details within its 538 square feet, the apartment maintains a unified, navigable, and remarkably open atmosphere. Helgerson attributes this success to her disciplined approach to materials and her philosophy of attentive listening. Rather than imposing a predetermined aesthetic onto a project, she allows the specific history, architecture, and materials of a space to guide her hand, successfully delivering a deeply personal Parisian refuge that honors both fantasy and function.
