How A Cluttered Townhouse Became A Soothing Oasis

WHEN INTERIOR DESIGNER Mike Rupp accepted the task of revamping an 1843 Greek Revival townhouse in New York’s Gramercy neighbourhood, he knew it wouldn’t be a walk in the park. Decades of decoration by the client herself had yielded a cluttered, directionless space filled with traditional, oversize furniture in clashing colours and patterns. “Things were out of scale with the space, and colours didn’t harmonize,” said Mr. Rupp.

The collections the client and her husband had amassed added to the hodgepodge: art from travels to Africa and copious greyhound figurines inspired by their rescues of the oft-forsaken breed. The surfeit of stuff made visitors feel a bit like children in a preciously decorated house. “They’re not formal people,” Mr. Rupp said of the couple. “They’re casual and warmhearted and wanted guests to feel the same way.”

He introduced his client to the pared-back but handcrafted side of 20th-century modernism through artists and designers like Pierre Jeanneret, George Nakashima and Paul R. Evans. Sumptuous textures and a tight palette of blue and green pastels and neutrals further warmed the home, tying together 20th-century furniture, 19th-century architecture and many styles of art. “Don’t be afraid to surround yourself with colour,” said Mr. Rupp, “but it doesn’t have to be poppy, bold and aggressive.”

Tap the Quiet Power of Pale Blue

The second-floor parlour comprises a living and dining area, whose walls are clad in a nearly neutral pale blue paint, Whispering Spring from Benjamin Moore. In the dining space, Mr. Rupp upholstered the Wegner chairs that surround a walnut Nakashima table in a leather of a similarly muted blue. The black shades of the midcentury-styled chandelier visually connect to the shapes in a triptych by British artist Lisa Giles, and a geometrically patterned carved-wool rug with blue in the ground unifies the two rooms and “invites guests to get comfortable” on the carpet’s high pile.

Don’t Let a Bathroom Get Too Impersonal

The client fell for the furniture of Pierre Jeanneret during the design process—so much so that Mr. Rupp had to “put his foot down” to prevent her from buying too much—and so he took care to put a piece in the bathroom. “I wanted her to start her day with a piece that makes her happy,” he said. The biggest bathroom-design mistake? “Denying the space of [one’s] personality,” he said. “You don’t want to make it like a hotel bathroom.” Here, he added a Tuareg mat and the same paint as the parlor’s.

Weave Together the Handmade and Machine-Made

In the primary bedroom, Mr. Rupp covered the headboard in a Tuareg woven leather and reed mat from Morocco. “It brings colour and movement into the space,” he said. He painted the walls the same soft blue used elsewhere in the home. To balance out the room’s crafty elements, including the African mask that is part of the owners’ collection, he added a 1930s Swedish pewter lamp for “some aggressive metal.” Its gleam contrasts with the soft alpaca blanket and lamb’s wool pillow.

Integrate Off-Period Elements With a Coat of Paint

The Arts & Crafts fireplace in the parlor came from a 1992 renovation. “It was screaming at us to be changed,” Mr. Rupp said, but instead of replacing it, he painted the mantel a glossy black. “It gave it that modern edge.” The background in the painting over the mantel and the armchair’s leather again align with the home’s prevailing soft blue, but reds connect the accent pillows on the 1950s armchairs to bits of tile in the fireplace surround. Meanwhile, the curvilinear sofa clad in a fluffy lamb’s wool “beckons to be curled up on.”

For Tranquility, Connect Design to Nature

On the top floor of the home, Mr. Rupp continued to lean toward the clean lines of midcentury modernism executed in warm materials. Three curvaceous 1930s Axel Einar-Hjorth chairs in folksy pine encircle a cork-topped Paul Frankl Cloud coffee table from the 1950s. Blue leather softens the boxiness of the sofa, while on the walls, Benjamin Moore’s Hollingsworth Green, a pale sage, connects to the view of a backyard. Nature also gets a winky acknowledgment from a giant stainless-steel flower by late American sculptor Gloria Kischl. A 1940s Swedish rug hews to the home’s blue-green palette but adds touches of pink.

As Paris makes its final preparations for the Olympic games, its residents are busy with their own—packing their suitcases, confirming their reservations, and getting out of town.

Worried about the hordes of crowds and overall chaos the Olympics could bring, Parisians are fleeing the city in droves and inundating resort cities around the country. Hotels and holiday rentals in some of France’s most popular vacation destinations—from the French Riviera in the south to the beaches of Normandy in the north—say they are expecting massive crowds this year in advance of the Olympics. The games will run from July 26-Aug. 1.

“It’s already a major holiday season for us, and beyond that, we have the Olympics,” says Stéphane Personeni, general manager of the Lily of the Valley hotel in Saint Tropez. “People began booking early this year.”

Personeni’s hotel typically has no issues filling its rooms each summer—by May of each year, the luxury hotel typically finds itself completely booked out for the months of July and August. But this year, the 53-room hotel began filling up for summer reservations in February.

“We told our regular guests that everything—hotels, apartments, villas—are going to be hard to find this summer,” Personeni says. His neighbours around Saint Tropez say they’re similarly booked up.

As of March, the online marketplace Gens de Confiance (“Trusted People”), saw a 50% increase in reservations from Parisians seeking vacation rentals outside the capital during the Olympics.

Already, August is a popular vacation time for the French. With a minimum of five weeks of vacation mandated by law, many decide to take the entire month off, renting out villas in beachside destinations for longer periods.

But beyond the typical August travel, the Olympics are having a real impact, says Bertille Marchal, a spokesperson for Gens de Confiance.

“We’ve seen nearly three times more reservations for the dates of the Olympics than the following two weeks,” Marchal says. “The increase is definitely linked to the Olympic Games.”

Worried about the hordes of crowds and overall chaos the Olympics could bring, Parisians are fleeing the city in droves and inundating resort cities around the country.
Getty Images

According to the site, the most sought-out vacation destinations are Morbihan and Loire-Atlantique, a seaside region in the northwest; le Var, a coastal area within the southeast of France along the Côte d’Azur; and the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean.

Meanwhile, the Olympics haven’t necessarily been a boon to foreign tourism in the country. Many tourists who might have otherwise come to France are avoiding it this year in favour of other European capitals. In Paris, demand for stays at high-end hotels has collapsed, with bookings down 50% in July compared to last year, according to UMIH Prestige, which represents hotels charging at least €800 ($865) a night for rooms.

Earlier this year, high-end restaurants and concierges said the Olympics might even be an opportunity to score a hard-get-seat at the city’s fine dining.

In the Occitanie region in southwest France, the overall number of reservations this summer hasn’t changed much from last year, says Vincent Gare, president of the regional tourism committee there.

“But looking further at the numbers, we do see an increase in the clientele coming from the Paris region,” Gare told Le Figaro, noting that the increase in reservations has fallen directly on the dates of the Olympic games.

Michel Barré, a retiree living in Paris’s Le Marais neighbourhood, is one of those opting for the beach rather than the opening ceremony. In January, he booked a stay in Normandy for two weeks.

“Even though it’s a major European capital, Paris is still a small city—it’s a massive effort to host all of these events,” Barré says. “The Olympics are going to be a mess.”

More than anything, he just wants some calm after an event-filled summer in Paris, which just before the Olympics experienced the drama of a snap election called by Macron.

“It’s been a hectic summer here,” he says.

Hotels and holiday rentals in some of France’s most popular vacation destinations say they are expecting massive crowds this year in advance of the Olympics.
AFP via Getty Images

Parisians—Barré included—feel that the city, by over-catering to its tourists, is driving out many residents.

Parts of the Seine—usually one of the most popular summertime hangout spots —have been closed off for weeks as the city installs bleachers and Olympics signage. In certain neighbourhoods, residents will need to scan a QR code with police to access their own apartments. And from the Olympics to Sept. 8, Paris is nearly doubling the price of transit tickets from €2.15 to €4 per ride.

The city’s clear willingness to capitalise on its tourists has motivated some residents to do the same. In March, the number of active Airbnb listings in Paris reached an all-time high as hosts rushed to list their apartments. Listings grew 40% from the same time last year, according to the company.

With their regular clients taking off, Parisian restaurants and merchants are complaining that business is down.

“Are there any Parisians left in Paris?” Alaine Fontaine, president of the restaurant industry association, told the radio station Franceinfo on Sunday. “For the last three weeks, there haven’t been any here.”

Still, for all the talk of those leaving, there are plenty who have decided to stick around.

Jay Swanson, an American expat and YouTuber, can’t imagine leaving during the Olympics—he secured his tickets to see ping pong and volleyball last year. He’s also less concerned about the crowds and road closures than others, having just put together a series of videos explaining how to navigate Paris during the games.

“It’s been 100 years since the Games came to Paris; when else will we get a chance to host the world like this?” Swanson says. “So many Parisians are leaving and tourism is down, so not only will it be quiet but the only people left will be here for a party.”