Florence Lopez, antiques and her evolving studio
Florence Lopez, the much-admired Parisian antique dealer provides an inimitable experience for her impressive clientele: inviting them to her (constantly evolving) home studio.
Lopez has resided at the same apartment in the heart of Saint Germain de Prés, Paris for nearly a quarter of a century and has reinvented the interior almost as many times. The studio’s wildly creative décor, and antique furniture changes at the whim of Lopez and to the delight of her regular clients – including billionaire collector Francois Pinault, actor Gérard Depardieu, Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk and his wife, Élodie Bouchez; and actor Charlotte Gainsbourg.
The intimate bohemian atmosphere she is inadvertently selling in the wonderfully theatrical space is quite unlike the minimalist cubes of her Parisian contemporaries, dealing in antiques and decorative arts. In fact, ‘Antiques Dealer’ doesn’t feel an adequate title for Florence Lopez as she appears to effortlessly embrace the roles of dealer, designer, retailer and stylist with the innate warmth and confidence of the truly creative.
In the latest incarnation of the home studio, the thematic palette featuring dynamic hues of green, blue and yellow appears to be inspired by the full wall painting in homage to Brazilian landscape artist Roberto Burle Marx. With the addition of the mostly midcentury furnishings and some white relief the space is fresh and envigorating. Dining is around an Osvaldo Borsani table from the 1940s beneath a midcentury chandelier. Lopez and her son Pascale sleep on beds designed by Charlotte Perriand and Gio Ponti respectively, and travel to Bordeaux on most weekends, where her husband and Raphael’s father, architect Patrick Hernandez, lives in a house the couple converted from a 19th-century building at a winery.
Life, work, and passion appear to be a heady mix for Lopez, intermingled without exception in a very agreeable offering – a recipe for continued success for Florence Lopez and her many admirers.
Credits: The Wall Street Journal
Photography: Matthieu Salvaing
