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A colourful renovation by Lucie Socrate

Previously, Plum Living visited Lucie's own home for a home tour, full of colour and tips. Today Lucie Socrate welcomes us in to her latest project. Nothing was off limits regarding archiecture and decoration, and the city of Rio provided the inspiration for a fun, jewel-toned palette. In just 4 months, the designer totally renovated this 61m2 apartment, creating a magical and fun space. A sunny home, just outside Paris; perfect for stimulating your creativity and imagination! Here, contrasting colours are played with, redefining spaces and punctuated with vintage gems and modern items. Daring and bold, each room is more unique than the last. Shall we take a look?

Lucie Socrate, interior designer

Paint S5020-Y by NCS, coffee table and sofa Komfort vintage from Selency, armchairs in teak from General Store, scandinavian ceiling light from Antigua Cabana, wall art Olivia Dritzas; candlestick “Honorine” and book ends “Roucas” by Margaux Keller, plants By Charlot, cushions Ma Poésie, jute rug with fringes from Westwing, curtains AM.PM - ⓒ Hervé Goluza for Plum Living

Lucie Socrate, interior designer

Welcome to Rio de Janeiro

One less diving wall here, a little more storage there: as soon as you step in to the living room, it's clear Lucie has reconsidered the dimensions of the room, as well as giving it a punchy new colour. To give depth to the room and a focal point to the bookshelves, Lucie added a khaki green all over the cupboards, shelves and even a sliver of the ceiling! A few vintage lights and pieces of retro furniture, warm natural wood and vintage paint shades; the atmosphere of this bold project is clear as soon as you enter the chic living room. One for antique lovers then! .

Rehomed & reloved

How to find the pefect item for your home that blends style, authenticity, quality and respect for the environment? Sourcing second-hand of course! Selency, obscure websites, jaunts to Belgium... Lucie loves a treasure hunt, but don't overlook her hard-earned tips! "To avoid falling in to any traps, clearly define your global budget before identifying how much you can spend on each item. And check any light fittings are correctly wired!" Worried about ending up with the total-grandma look? Consider mixing antique pieces with modern colours and designs, like this wallpaper which has been framed with wooden mouldings to create a piece of art.

Olive living room with vintage, thrifted decoration

Living room with vintage, thrifted decoration

Wall paper by @afafaa and made by @paulette.interieurs, vintage sideboard with drawers thrifted at General Store, plans By Charlot, lamp Mallow Good Moods Editions - ⓒ Hervé Goluza for Plum Living

Details details

Lucie has designed a full size bookshelf and desk across the width of the room, perfect for displaying books, decoration, a TV and a workstation. "Integrated to the lower storage cabinets, we created a niche to include 2 small desks for the couple who will live here". The elegant detail that changes everything? The pretty mouldings made from wood, glued to the façades and painted in the same shade.

Paint S5020-Y from NCS, wooden side table thrifted at Selency and repainted in S5020-Y from NCS, India Yellow from Farrow & Ball and Blush from Plum Living - ⓒ Hervé Goluza for Plum Living

Cosy colours

In a similar spirit to the living room, the dining room employs similar codes: thrifted table and chairs in rich wood and a Brazilian design, punchy colour to underscore different spaces. "The white walls bring a splash of light whilst the pinky Blush really brings out the ceiling details, and both work beautifully which the khaki of the bookshelves." Geometric and totally unique, we love the zigzag detail in our Tuile colour all around the kitchen entrance - a touch of modernity and edge!

Ceiling painted with Blush by Plum Living & the border with Tuile by Plum Living x Margaux Keller, teak table thrifted on General Store, chairs, light fitting from Carl Thore for Granhaga Metallindustri and dessert cart from Selency, Enzo vase and Parasol glasses by Margaux Keller, wall light designed by Lucie and crafted by My Hungry Valentine Ceramics, rug AMPM ⓒ Hervé Goluza pour Plum Living

Open plan kitchen with vintage furniture

Multicoloured haven

Goodbye kitchens hidden away at the end of a corridor. This kitchen takes pride of place and has the personality to match. To add dynamism and energy to this project, Lucie approached the kitchen as if it were a work of art: multicoloured shades, sunny optimism and a touch of vintage allure. The colours she went for? Romarin, Tuile and Ocre from Plum Living's collection with Margaux Keller. "My tip to balance the overall look? Alternate fronts in paler shades, here Ivoire and Beige rosé, use the U shape design with integrated handles and contrast everything with a mineral floor".

Paint frame is Tuile from the Plum Living x Margaux Keller collection, U shape fronts and cover panels in matte lacquer from Plum Living: colours Blush, Beige rosé, Ivoir and colours Tuile, Ocre and Romarin from the Margaux Keller x Plum Living collection. Tap and plinths in brass from Plum Living, tiling Marazzi reference Mystone Ceppo di Gre, mirror thrifted from Antigua Cabana. - ⓒ Hervé Goluza for Plum Living

All or nothing

Not only are the colours of this kitchen daring, but so is the story of its creation: this used to be a bathroom! "On the floor plan, this room is small; however opening it onto the dining space allowed me to play with perspectives. The upper row of cabinets really optimise this back wall". All the potential of a 'big' kitchen, which Lucie managed to make the most of. She stretched the storage all the way in to the angle in the far corner, using a shallower lower cabinet..

U-Shape fronts and cover panels in matte lacquer from Plum Living: colours Blush, Beige rosé, Ivoir and Tuile, Ocre and Romarin from the Plum Living x Margaux Keller collection. Taps and plinths in brass from Plum Living, carafe Niolon from Margaux Keller, Mazzari tiles reference Mystone Ceppo di Gre ⓒ Hervé Goluza pour Plum Living

Paint Côme by Ressource, light fitting and hat stand thrifted from Selency, mirror and bench from boutique Sélection ⓒ Hervé Goluza pour Plum Living

Bright ideas

Allow for free flowing movement by optimising partition walls? Yes! Destroying everything and starting over? No thanks. It was important to Lucie to minimise the environmental impact of this renovation, opting to restore the original parquet flooring, and keep the original position of the radiators, adding a simple tablette on top so that these could also be used as storage. For the colour, a light blue added a breath of fresh air to the hallway and offsets the rich shades in the rest of the apartment. She even opted to add some colour to the exposed pipework, shown off proudly.

Small bathroom with waxed concrete and details painted in Tuile

Mission: optimisation

In order to fit everything in to the 5m2 available in the bathroom (previously the kitchen!), Lucie cleverly uses all the angles to her advantage. Visible in the mirror, the wall of the shower offers a few extra centimetres, between the cupboards and the sink, to squeeze in some extra shelves. Here, Lucie opted for more neutral colours, using the industrial appeal of waxed concrete to provide some contrast and a pop rounded pops of colour using our Tuile paint.

Paint detailing by in Tuile by Plum Living x Margaux Keller, sink Roca, porcelaine switches from Le Petit Florilège, plant By Charlot, products The Naked Shop - ⓒ Hervé Goluza for Plum Living

Night and day

The beauty of this bedroom? Seeming so much bigger than it is! Lucie imagined a partition dynamic for this room: as a headboard, this layout serves a double purpose, also screening an open-plan closet. "This room teases the storage behind the bed, and allows you to circulate freely around the bed itself. Don't forget the home cinema set up thanks to the mini projector!" We love the hotel-suite ambiance, and the summery retro shades

Paint is Rouge de Pozzuoli from Argile and India Yellow from Farrow & Ball, reading lights Studio Nahtrang, pendant light Selency, bed sheets Bonsoirs, headboard created using bricks from Fab.brick - ⓒ Hervé Goluza for Plum Living

Master bedroom in retro terracotta tones

Box of surprises

In perfect harmony with the rest of the apartment, the bedroom showcases Lucie's taste for pretty details and mixes of textures. On the wardrobe doors, little handles in brass pop like gems. To give some rhythm to the room and continue her eco-friendly approach, the designer chose tiles made from recycled clothing.

Inspirational ideas

Use your kitchen like a piece of art, in multiple colours. Add a modern edge using U shape fronts..
Use colour in a graphic style to define spaces and bring some dynamism to ceilings and door frames.
Mix vintage furniture and sustainable materials to reduce the environmental impact of your renovation
Consider adding wooden decals or double handles to jazz up a simple storage unit

To know more!