This private residence located in Beirut can be thought of as an “experience by square meter”. Using the freedom to create individual moods within the open spaced shared area of the home, the carefully chosen art and objects, furniture, and finishings, nourish each other by being given space equally, allowing them to shine and express themselves. The aesthetic is built upon craftsmanship and creativity, to create a “quilt”, not unlike one would find within a city, where its neighborhoods, monuments, gardens, and streets are blended together to create one dynamic experience.
Like a welcoming sentinel, the external entrance to the residence immediately clues in visitors to the DNA of the home. The site specific piece by designer Najla El Zein, “Breathing Wall”, is composed of steel and wood shaped diamond modules, propelled by a motorized mechanical system, recalling the sun’s diurnal cycle, and gives texture and movement upon entering into the residence. Gregory designed the sculptural, amorphous bronze door handle for the project.
In one of the sitting areas of the project, a one-of-a-kind piece, “More is More”, 2011, by Wendell Castle, acquired from Carpenter’s Workshop Gallerie, playfully rests in situ. In another sitting area, overlooking the sea, a mid-century Italian sofa is mixed with a Wendell Castle side table and a post-modern limited edition rocking chair designed by Karim Chaya.
Placed aside the modular, steel-framed 5 pieced “Round Sofa” designed by Gregory, is an important sculpture from 1997 by Parvine Curie, titled “Mere-Cathedrale”. The “Odalisca Huge Totem” by Ettore Sottsass, from the 1990s, crowns the other side; and a grouping of 1970’s “Champignon” side tables by Philippe Hiquily complete the area. All pieces were sourced from Gallerie Yves Gastou.
The soaring, cyclone-esque sculptures “Pair” (2012), by Tony Cragg, create a dialogue between the spaces; while, placed on a copper painted column, Robert Willson’s video looped portrait “Mademoiselle Caroline Riviere d’apres Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres”, watches over the living room.
Painted panels created by Atelier Zimmerman, commissioned specifically for this project, were created to connect the bar area and dining room areas. The multi-use standing and sitting bar was designed by Gregory and executed by ACID, using fiberglass coated in metal as a base and rosewood as the countertop. In the dining room, the celestial custom installation by Noe Duchaufour Lawrance “Naturoscopie II”, reminiscent of a 2.0 version of “Starry Night”, lights up the convivial space. A ceramic statue by the Campana Brothers sits on the dining table.
To link the shared space to the bedroom, a mirrored hallway displays the bronze grove of sconces designed by Gregory, which line the opposite wall and give an oneiric effect. In the bedroom, floating above the bed is a gilded bronze sconce in the shape of a prehistoric bird by Felix Agostini from the 1960s.
Marble floors are throughout the shared areas of the home, and shades of gold leaf accentuate the wood bookshelf designed by Gregory, housing the owner’s collection of glass artworks and books.
Like a welcoming sentinel, the external entrance to the residence immediately clues in visitors to the DNA of the home. The site specific piece by designer Najla El Zein, “Breathing Wall”, is composed of steel and wood shaped diamond modules, propelled by a motorized mechanical system, recalling the sun’s diurnal cycle, and gives texture and movement upon entering into the residence. Gregory designed the sculptural, amorphous bronze door handle for the project.
In one of the sitting areas of the project, a one-of-a-kind piece, “More is More”, 2011, by Wendell Castle, acquired from Carpenter’s Workshop Gallerie, playfully rests in situ. In another sitting area, overlooking the sea, a mid-century Italian sofa is mixed with a Wendell Castle side table and a post-modern limited edition rocking chair designed by Karim Chaya.
Placed aside the modular, steel-framed 5 pieced “Round Sofa” designed by Gregory, is an important sculpture from 1997 by Parvine Curie, titled “Mere-Cathedrale”. The “Odalisca Huge Totem” by Ettore Sottsass, from the 1990s, crowns the other side; and a grouping of 1970’s “Champignon” side tables by Philippe Hiquily complete the area. All pieces were sourced from Gallerie Yves Gastou.
The soaring, cyclone-esque sculptures “Pair” (2012), by Tony Cragg, create a dialogue between the spaces; while, placed on a copper painted column, Robert Willson’s video looped portrait “Mademoiselle Caroline Riviere d’apres Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres”, watches over the living room.
Painted panels created by Atelier Zimmerman, commissioned specifically for this project, were created to connect the bar area and dining room areas. The multi-use standing and sitting bar was designed by Gregory and executed by ACID, using fiberglass coated in metal as a base and rosewood as the countertop. In the dining room, the celestial custom installation by Noe Duchaufour Lawrance “Naturoscopie II”, reminiscent of a 2.0 version of “Starry Night”, lights up the convivial space. A ceramic statue by the Campana Brothers sits on the dining table.
To link the shared space to the bedroom, a mirrored hallway displays the bronze grove of sconces designed by Gregory, which line the opposite wall and give an oneiric effect. In the bedroom, floating above the bed is a gilded bronze sconce in the shape of a prehistoric bird by Felix Agostini from the 1960s.
Marble floors are throughout the shared areas of the home, and shades of gold leaf accentuate the wood bookshelf designed by Gregory, housing the owner’s collection of glass artworks and books.
Beirut, 2013