04-01-22
“Home in progress”, Inside Charlotte Ziegler, artistic director of Balaboosté.
A blank page has to be rewritten over and over again. A space of creative freedom where everything is possible, or everything is in motion. This is how Charlotte Ziegler, artistic director, full of humor and ideas for the Balaboosté brand, describes her interior. It took two years to find this gem with triple bow windows. But the wait was worth it. So much so that Charlotte does not want to overload this “perfect shell”. It’s just sublimated by a simple and elegant decoration, mixing modern and contemporary influences.
At Nesty Living, we like to start our interviews by asking our interviewees to talk a little bit about themselves, about their career. Could you tell us a little more about yourself?
I’m an art director for an accessories brand and I would describe myself as a mama hen trying to be cool! I have three children: Zoe, 14, Leo, 12 and Zenta, 6. My last birthday cake had 42 candles, but I feel more like 15 and a half. I’ve been in fashion all my life, I love to play with the codes and be where I’m not expected. I cultivate this offbeat side, I take great pleasure in it!
I have always evolved in this creative universe. After a master’s degree in communication and a post-graduate degree at the French Institute of Fashion (IFM), I worked in the ready-to-wear industry in Paris. I then created my own brand of jewelry with fun and retro design, Reine Rosalie. Since 2016, I’m in charge of the collections of Balaboosté, a brand of costume jewelry and accessories. I love the idea of offering small, hyper-accessible treasures, to please oneself as often as possible! It’s an exciting and all-consuming adventure: the brand was created by my parents-in-law 25 years ago and we continue to make it grow and shine with new store openings again this year.
“The decorating here is never really finished. No curtains yet, no frames on the walls. It emanates a sobriety that is not unpleasant to me …”
Tell us about your home: how would you define it?
“Home in progress”: that’s what defines it best! We moved in in 2011 and were lucky enough to be able to expand the apartment before our youngest was born. So it has evolved a lot: while we couldn’t even sit in the kitchen before, it can now accommodate 8 people for dinner! In short, the kitchen has become the master room of the house. We do our homework there, we dance, we play table soccer! It is also a “house in progress” because I have the impression that our decoration is never really finished. I haven’t put up any curtains yet, all our frames are on the floor or on furniture, our walls are still blank, much to my husband’s despair. It emanates a certain sobriety which is not unpleasant for me ;-). I realize that it is a necessary serenity to my eyes in overdose of information. And then, I still miss things: a desk, an armchair for our room, a piece of furniture for our entrance … I’m still waiting for a big black and white photo that I would like to put in my bathroom. But I love to hunt at flea markets, at the Paul Bert market in Saint-Ouen, I will eventually find it!
“This apartment alone is so wow! For us, it was the perfect shell.”
White walls are original for an eccentric fashion fan!
It’s true, my apartment is nowhere near as colorful or crazy as I am…that’s obviously because I’m not alone in it! The balance comes from the fact that my other half is holding the line on the crazy balloon that’s flying around. If there is a certainty, it is that this apartment is far from being perfect… And it’s intentional! I’m not interested in perfection, nor in “too much decoration”. I don’t like things that are too matchy-matchy, styles that are seen everywhere, chichiteux details. It must be said that this 1930’s art-deco apartment doesn’t need much to shine. It is already so “wow”! For us, it was the perfect “shell”. A nice high ceiling, a lot of light, and bow windows are enough to give it the charm we were looking for!
Why and how did you choose this city, this area?
I have always lived in Paris. I love this city so much that I could be happy in any neighborhood! I grew up in Montparnasse and Saint-Germain-des-Prés, which I left to live with my lover who was already living in the 16th. I got very attached to the shopkeepers in this area and I never get tired of the great walks you can take: to the Champs de Mars, to the Bois de Boulogne or to the Ile au Cygnes! I work in Strasbourg Saint-Denis and I love to cross Paris twice a day and make a thousand detours. It’s really a trip every time, you discover so many different worlds!
Do you remember how you felt the first time you visited your apartment?
I liked the building immediately. I love Art Deco and this building was built in 1930, the year my grandfather was born. I knew right away that it was a sign! It was the light that attracted me from the first step. As it is a corner building, the light floods almost every room. You can also see the Eiffel Tower, which doesn’t detract from the charm of this apartment…
“This giant kitchen is the heart of our home. With its incredible dimensions, it helps us create unforgettable moments.”
What is your favorite piece? Why do you like it?
The kitchen! It’s huge and I think it’s great. It is the heart of the house. There is a super comfortable bench and a magic island, witnesses of all our life scenes: telecommuting, painting, board games, tea-time… it is the perfect room for everything. When guests arrive, it’s always where we have the first drink. I love entertaining in the kitchen, it’s cool and casual, and it keeps me on track with the conversation between dishes!
This giant kitchen helps us create unforgettable moments: my brother who transforms our dishes with his crazy seasonings, my grandmother who fries bricks for the aperitif, my daughters’ choreographies, my remonstrations at the table soccer with Leo who always ends up winning… And the crepe party every time someone comes by unexpectedly.
How does your interior reflect your personality?
The base is well structured, reassuring, bright. This sobriety reflects perhaps a character which likes to go to the essential, without frills. An opening to the outside world to represent an open-mindedness, an altruism that I try to transmit to our children. There are also a few touches of fantasy: an ABCD sofa by Paulin, a Bidules wallpaper by Pierre Frey, a fluorescent yellow bedspread … My interior is like our family, full of life: it’s full of kids on scooters, it’s not tidy, the closets are full of surprises, and everything is in constant evolution!
Do you regularly upgrade your interior?
Yes, I love moving furniture! My fear of routine perhaps? Depending on the event, the number of guests: everything moves! We can have dinner for 6 or 25 in the living room… I admit it, I draw trestles and folding chairs quite regularly to organize fiestas with friends or family. And when we have movie nights, I put the 2 sofas together to form a big bed. A new wax tablecloth can also change the atmosphere of the room! In short, nothing is fixed, everything is flexible!
- What is your dream property? The same one with a garden!
- Which city has seduced you the most in terms of architecture, and why? Tokyo, for the variety of styles, the charm of the historic and the surprise of the modern.
- What advice would you give to someone looking for a property? The secret is always to fall in love.