Design
A Tour of Vik Muniz’s Pied-À-Terre in Paris’s 7th Arrondisement
Vik Muniz’s portrait of his wife Malu Barreto hangs above a desk in the sun drenched living room of their Paris flat. Image courtesy of Galerie Magazine.
Tucked away in the tree lined 7th arrondisement of Paris, Vik Muniz and his family have put down roots in the City of Light.
Remarkably the home only contains two works by Muniz. The first is the portrait of his wife, Malu Barreto, hangs in the living room. While it is easy to admire this gorgeous portrait, the couple admits fearing its prominent display feels pretentious at times.
Muniz, the famed Brazilian artist, and his wife teamed up with BWArchitects to ensure their Paris home perfectly reflected the aspects the family loved most about their Brooklyn and Rio de Janeiro homes.
The sun-drenched living room is one of the family’s favorite places to spend time. A vine-like mirror by Claude Lalanne hangs above the marble mantel. Image courtesy of Galerie Magazine.
Basil Walter and Brenda Bello of BWArchitects maximized the shared spaces of the Paris flat making it less compartmentalized. Bedrooms were made to be smaller, cozy spaces for sleeping.
The couple’s residence in Rio has enormous bedrooms that are often empty. The family’s loft in Brooklyn comfortably provides a space for everyone to be together. Muniz’s five-year-old daughter tells Galerie Magazine this is her favorite thing about the loft.
Walter and Bello elegantly accomodated the desire for larger shared spaces. It is evident that area has been thoughtfully curated with meaningful design furniture, collected artwork, and objects.
A taste of the fabulous design furniture, favorite objects, and cherished. photography collection. Image courtesy of Galerie Magazine.
Muniz, who grew up under an unforgiving regime in Brazil, quickly learned the safest way to communicate was through coded language.
Given his upbringing paired with his fascination with image and perception, it is no wonder that he has chosen to express himself through collaged artworks and artworks using nontraditional materials that ultimately fool the viewer’s eye.
For Muniz, he sifted through his prized photography collection and sought only to bring those that evoked a French feel. Favorite French photographers include Henri Cartier-Bresson and André Kertész.
The dining area balances heavy and light objects, with a collage by Muniz hanging in the background. Image courtesy of Galerie Magazine.
The dining area off of the kitchen balances the heavy slab table with Eames chairs by Herman Miller. The colors of the Louis Poulsen pedant lights and Eames chairs are all present in the second collage by Vik Muniz which hangs on the wall.
Since the flat was reconfigured, there are only two bedrooms. The bedrooms are gracefully tucked near the middle and back of the flat.
The shrunken master bedroom boasts artwork Mel Bochner as well as graphic wallpaper by Paris favorite Deyroll. Image courtesy of Galerie Magazine.
The master bedroom and children’s bedroom while shrunken in size do not sacrifice in style.
The master bedroom contains sentimental fine art and objects important to the couple as evidenced by the Mel Bochner artwork.
A glimpse into the en suite master bath. Petite treasured objects line the vanity while the wallpaper gives the illusion of a framed collection of prints and specimens. Image courtesy of Galerie Magazine.
The children’s bedroom is a menagerie of colors,animals, and light with Deyroll wallpaper. Image courtesy of Galerie Magazine.
The children’s bedroom is a colorful expression of style. The room transforms into a sleepover campsite when the trundle beds are brought out beneath the pair of twin beds.
The Deyroll wallpaper in the master bathroom and children’s bedroom is reminiscent of the Fornasetti Atelier and its stacked, eclectic collection of objects.
As Muniz and his family settle into their new digs, they look forward to adding to the existing collection of objects inside the home. A with anyone settling into a new home, they enjoy the continued process of making this home feel truly authentic.
