This 538-Square-Foot Paris Pied-à-Terre Is Designed to Feel Like a Cabinet of Curiosities

For two homeowners who work in the sciences, AD100 designer Jessica Helgerson turned their interests into a design narrativeThe massive 17th century Renaissance cabinet was the first piece of furniture designer Jessica Helgerson found for the apartment. The vintage mantel is from Marc Maison and the functioning stove within it is from Stove Hunter.For one newly married American couple, the French capital became their second home after they held their wedding ceremony there. They took their wedding photos on Place Dauphine, and as the photographer snapped away, a fantasy took shape. On hearing his wife profess a desire to buy a place in the City of Love, “the husband said to the wife ‘You can pick any apartment as long as it’s on Place Dauphine.’” Shortly after, against all odds, the couple found a 538-square-foot home on Place Dauphine that soon became their cozy pied-à-terre.The couple turned to AD100 interior designer Jessica Helgerson to help them make their dream into a reality. Helgerson, who holds dual citizenship and has clients and offices in both Paris and Portland, Oregon, is known for her well-balanced interiors in a wide range of styles. She eschews one signature look. For Helgerson, the fun is in invention, not repetition.“The same company that made the dining chairs made the base for the coffee table,” says Helgerson of Fabienne L’Hostis from Galerie Signé. The top of the coffee table is made of raku-fired ceramics and mimics the same graphic blue-green and red pattern as the lead windows in the entrance of the apartment and the kitchen. The custom sleeper sofa is designed by Helgerson and made by Atelier d’Argentat. It is upholstered in Claremont’s mohair velvet teal. The two Alfred Christensen armchairs in front of the Renaissance cabinet are from the 1950s and upholstered in sheepskin. Helgerson found them at Galerie LMG. Vintage Reupholstered Sheepskin Danish Chair by Alfred ChristensenCrate & Barrel Relaxed Velvet Pillow CoverThe curtains are done in Rogers & Goffigon’s Béchamel Basil and the wool rug is custom from Cumellas Barcelona. To the left of the dining area is the kitchen with its new entrance, and to the right is the entrance to the apartment. The ebonized above-mantel mirror was designed by Helgerson, based on the baseboard of the Renaissance cabinet in the same room, and was fabricated by Renaissance et Restauration. The tobacco leather wall sconces that flank the mirror are by Walcott from Giobagnara, and the 1970s hanging brass candelabra was made by Michael Harjes. Helgerson found it at Galerie LMG. Rodin Ocher Velvet Dining Chair by Athena CalderoneVintage Pottery Barn Italian Jade VaseHand-Blown Pendant by J.M. SzymanskiVintage Horshoe Rooster Candlestick Holder (Set of 2)“When they came to us, they said they wanted the feeling of a cabinet of curiosities,” says Helgerson. In a sense it was the perfect ask for a one-bedroom apartment as tiny as this one. “My mind went straight to two things,” says Helgerson. “The robin’s-egg blue glass wall in the Natural History Museum in Manhattan and the famous store Deyrolles which is in that same color. It’s a great color for displaying things.” That blue shows up throughout the apartment: in the tablecloth covering the dining table, on the surface of the egg-shaped coffee table, on the sofa that is upholstered in it, and on the bedroom walls.Helgerson’s decision to place a large German Renaissance cabinet from the 17th century in the dining and living room was what brought the tiny space its gravitas. The cabinet was perfect for the room: it is the same era as the apartment with measurements that fit the largest wall exactly. This is where all of the home’s tiny treasures congregate: on green fabric-covered shelves, which leave the rest of the surfaces in the apartment free of litter and allow the small home space to breathe.The portrait hanging in the small hallway was done by Elen Bezhen, a painter Helgerson found on instagram. “Bezhen does these photorealistic Renaissance-style portraits with modern backdrops,” she says. The 18th-century desk below the painting was found at the Saint-Ouen flea market. The vintage red stool in front of it was also found at the market and was designed by George Nelson and produced by Herman Miller. The bronze candlestick that lights the small workspace was made in Germany in the 1970s and sourced from Galerie LMG. Helgerson carried over the same red cinnamon lava stone and terracotta floor tiles she used in the kitchen into the bathroom. The bedroom is purely about sleep and storage. It’s too petite to be about anything else. Helgerson worked within its space constraints, but didn’t let those limitations compromise the visual balance of the room. Helgerson turned an out-of-commission former chimney flue into a bed niche that looks as if it started out life that way.In the pistachio-hued kitchen, a wood cabinet serves as a pantry and Helgerson introduced more romance where only grim utility was before. “The leaded glass windows in the kitchen filter out the unattractive view to an elevator shaft,” says Helgerson. “The design of crosses, interjected with red circles, came from the railing outside of the building.” The window in the entry and the raku ceramic coffee table in the living room were inspired by the same.“I love old french linens,” says Helgerson. “I have an obsession.” She covered the bed in a cream antique coverlet, bringing the otherwise rather modern room a bit of old-world charm. Helgerson found the bedding at Defrise. The bathtub and bathroom walls are lined with the same enameled wall tiles Helgerson used in the kitchen. For a tiny home for two there is a lot going on, and yet the home feels unified, easy to navigate, and nowhere near cramped, regardless of the many fine antiques that decorate the space. “I like a pretty limited material palette. It helps the house feel like itself,” she says.The effect is a perfectly personal home for two people who wanted fantasy, but not at the cost of function. Helgerson delivered, executing deftly in a limited space many designers would have found challenging to work with. You could say Helgerson’s success is unsurprising considering the wide aesthetic range her portfolio shows. “I don't have my own design aesthetic,” she says. “The aesthetic is to listen to the place, where I am working, the materials of the place, and what feels right.” When you ask for a cabinet of curiosities from Helgerson you can be sure to get that very cabinet and that perfect color.The built-in cabinets were designed by Helgerson and fabricated by Renaissance et Restauration. The custom countertop is a sweet peculiarity: custom-enameled lava stone by Pyrolave from Pierredeplan. The material is one rarely used for countertops. Williams Sonoma Famille Rose Bud Vases (Set of 3)Mauviel M’3S Copper SaucepanIn the kitchen, the oak cabinet was designed by Helgerson and fabricated by Renaissance et Restauration. The enameled tiles on the walls are from Aire Azur Paris. Not a subscriber? Join AD for print and digital access now.Sign up for our daily newsletter to get the best of design in your inbox.Read MoreArtist Sunshine Thacker Built Her Upstate New York Dream House Brimming With Color, Memory and EmotionIn a shaded clearing in the Hudson Valley, the ceramicist realized her lifelong vision of homeBy Amir Capogrossi BadreddineDeep Window Seats and Cozy Reading Nooks Heighten the Magic of This English FarmhouseDesigner Max Rollitt and architects Simon Morray-Jones reconfigured centuries of additions to this country home to bring the bucolic rolling hills insideA Rising Star Designer Turns a Brooklyn Loft Into the Domestic Laboratory of Her DreamsSofía Beas channels Guadalajara, Luis Barragán and more Mexican hallmarks in the converted industrial spaceThe Best Montreal Hotels and Home Rentals to Book for a Luxurious Canadian GetawayWhere to rest your head between wandering cobblestone streets and eating slightly sweet bagelsIn Her Light-Filled Riverside Apartment Muriel Brandolini Crafts a Mysterious, Luxurious Floating WorldFilled with passionately collected art, precious objects, and a beguiling mix of furniture, the New York City home showcases the designer at the height of her powersRalph Lauren Home Unveils an Urbane Collection Inspired by the Enduring Appeal of Loft LivingPlus, Mieke ten Have's new collection for Rejuvenation masters the art of the mix, club culture inspires ceramics wunderkind Joël Brodovsky-Adam, a marquetry-clad music room in Amsterdam goes against the grain, and more AD discoveries this monthIn Heidi Caillier's Cozy New Home, Floral Patterns and a Bright Red Kitchen Bring the Victorian House to LifeAfter years in the Pacific Northwest, the AD100 designer and her family return to their beloved San Francisco, creating the rooted home she once thought unreachableLiev Schreiber Feathers His Nest in New York City—Rooftop Chicken Coop and AllWith help from AD100 firm Ashe Leandro, the actor and his wife, Taylor, expand the bachelor pad he’s held since 1998 softening its hard edges for their broodLucy Hale Embraced Her Good Witchy Style—and Found Herself—in Her Los Angeles SanctuaryThe Pretty Little Liars actor brought rich colors and bold personality to her home—it’s “witchy, but not bad witchy,” says designer Marie TrohmanThis Cozy New York Cabin Is Full of “Moments of Delight” and One Very Important Detail: Reading NooksJesse Parris-Lamb filled an upstate home with cozy crannies around one very large fireplace for a family of voracious readersWhen Creating Their NYC Forever Home, Fashion Designer Brian Atwood and Physician Jake Deutsch Initiated ‘Project Wow’The duplex above Manhattan’s High Line includes a staircase encased in marble, a gallery-like closet (of course), and a lesson in “luxury hoarding”