A Paris Studio That Feels Like Home - Timeless and Refined
In a quiet corner of Paris’ 16th arrondissement - where grand architecture meets leafy calm - interior designer Lichelle Silvestry has crafted something quietly extraordinary: a studio that feels unmistakably like a home. Housed in a 1918 building with Art Nouveau touches by Hector Guimard, the 560-square-foot space serves not only as her creative headquarters but as a living expression of her design ethos.
“When I found this apartment, it felt like it had been waiting for us,” Silvestry says. “I wanted a place that felt soulful, serene - like a Parisian home, not an office.” The search was long and deliberate, culminating in a serendipitous moment: a “For Sale” sign spotted on a Sunday evening walk, and a visit booked the very next morning.
Silvestry, founder of Lichelle Silvestry Interiors, is no stranger to the subtle language of proportion, material, and space. With roots in high-end furniture retail in Puerto Rico and Washington D.C., her journey into interiors began organically - clients asking her to bring the elegance of her showrooms into their homes. A move to Paris, inspired by love and long-held dreams, marked the beginning of a new chapter. “I’ve now been designing homes here for over a decade,” she says. “This studio is both my anchor and my canvas.”
A Parisian Canvas: Light, Texture, Soul
Located in one of the city’s most refined residential neighborhoods, the studio’s bones - soaring ceilings, mosaic flooring, a sculptural elevator - offered a perfect foundation. Silvestry saw more than charm. She saw potential.
Over six months, she transformed the flat from a dated apartment into a multifunctional, light-filled atelier. It now hosts meetings, showcases her custom furniture collection, and serves as an inspiring daily workspace for her team of four. Every detail was conceived with a residential lens. “The layout was designed to function, but the soul had to feel domestic,” she explains.
The colour palette is distinctly Parisian - soft creams, warm greys, and Trianon greens echoing the natural light that spills in from garden-facing windows. Noble materials, including a limestone entry, parquet flooring, and a reclaimed 1930s fireplace from the Marché aux Puces, ground the space in timelessness.
Where Heritage Meets Modern Ease
Silvestry’s design is a study in balance: antique mirrors and 18th-century tapestries sit alongside custom joinery and sleek brass fittings. “I’m constantly referencing classical Parisian design,” she says, pointing to a 1920s Baccarat lantern that inspired several bespoke pieces. “But it’s also about modern tailoring - how to make elegance feel effortless and livable.”
From the softly draped Dedar silk curtains to the bold geometry of a Melinda console, each piece was chosen or created to reflect quiet luxury. The Frank Chair and Octavio Ottoman, both from her own collection, sit comfortably beside a vintage Rateau chair and a Jean Roger vase. Nothing shouts, yet everything speaks.
A Few Steps from a Dream
Despite its modest footprint, the studio feels expansive, thanks to clever zoning, concealed storage, and flowing open-plan design. It’s a masterclass in spatial harmony - proof that beauty needn’t be grand to be grandiose.
And for Silvestry, the journey is far from over. “From my window, I look out onto the street I once dreamed of living on,” she says. “This may be a studio, but it’s also my home base - and maybe just a few steps away from the next dream project.”
Her ultimate ambition? A château restoration. “A place where authenticity, history, and timeless elegance can be honored and reimagined,” she confides.
Until then, this quiet apartment in Paris stands as a beacon of her design philosophy: refined, soulful, and always welcoming.
Credits
Interior Design by Lichelle Silvestry, Instagram: @lichelle.silvestry.interiors
Photography by Alice Mesguich, Instagram: @alicemesguich
Production by Karine Monié, Instagram: @karinemonie