Feature | Vibe

A knack for making a new home look old

By Yang Di | 2009-11-1 | NEWSPAPER EDITION

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The living area is graceful enough for entertaining but also where everyone feels immediately at home.

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WHEN Juliette van Gaver and her family left their former French Concession lane house to move into a new apartment,
it didn't take long to turn it into a home that looked like it had been theirs for years, Yang Di reports.

If there is a secret to making a new home look like a long established one, Juliette and Xavier van Gaver obviously know it. While they only moved into their new former French Concession flat a couple of months ago, the home is an oasis of good taste that immediately inspires feelings of comfort and cosiness.

The family of five has called Shanghai home since three years ago. When they recently moved out of a three-story lane house on Julu Road into this rented four-bedroom flat on Wukang Road, they were quite unprepared for flat layouts.

But it didn't take long for them to adjust and adapt and start to make the house theirs. Juliette's own distinct style has clearly matured over the years and the home reflects her way of making a contemporary style appear personalized and warm.

"The management didn't allow us to change anything but we could get rid of the previous furniture. Since we used to move often, we need to live in our own furniture to feel at home in any place," Juliette said.

Though it was not possible to renovate from scratch, Juliette quickly grasped the potential.

True enough, the apartment is a smooth-lined 180-square-meter space with white walls and wooden floors. The white gives the flat a light and airy feel, helped by glass sliding balcony doors that let in plenty of natural light. To jazz up the white interior, Juliette threw in touches of wood for warmth; exotic carpets and decor pieces also help break the monotony of white.

It was wise of her to furnish the home interior slowly. "Haste is responsible for most mistakes. I need some time to make a new space into mine and feel comfortable with it," she said. "Within a month, I gathered the things that we love, to make a stimulating atmosphere of furniture, textiles, rugs, objects and artwork, aiming for new discoveries at every turn."

The contemporary straight lines of the layout and built-in furnishings are balanced with the couple's collection of Oriental furniture and sophisticated ornaments. The simple, practical backdrop is softened with plenty of colorful prints and patterns on rugs, woolly cushions and accessories.

Every room in this apartment presented opportunities for a new idea, a different mood. Obviously the French woman has tried to achieve a home that is elegant but relaxed and informal, modern but very warm. The living area, the largest space, required the most thought.

The open living and dining area is graceful enough for entertaining and yet a place where everyone feels immediately at home and at ease. A pallet of beige, dark brown, copper-colored grey, yellow mustard with touches of bright green apple, vermilion and orange plays out a sophisticated drama.

The couple loves a mixture of old and new furniture: it is the connection of living history all around them. A handful of old wood furniture items cast a warm glow without being overwhelming.

Contemporary sofas and Art Deco chairs, with simple clean lines, minimize the feel of a crowded room and bring a sense of calm.

"I love to mix the styles and to evoke my memories of the different countries where we lived. That is why I always keep the similar style from one home to another," she said. "My furniture is my history. I love my paintings or decorative pieces to remind me of some good friends, a trip or the stories behind them."

Her favorite item in the house is a red Chinese cupboard placed behind the sofa sets -- its simplicity, its beautiful color and its special lock make it different from the rest. "And it follows us everywhere: we bought it in Beijing, sent it to Paris then it went to Moscow, Taiwan and Shanghai."