Adding another dimension to what is already known about style

icon Coco Chanel, her three rooms on the rue Cambon in Paris,

where she lived from 1954 until her death in 1971, are timeless,

bold, and surprisingly complex given her noted penchant for

simplicity.  Her rooms were conceived by her, ” down to the tiniest

details…There in one place were all her passions, the screens,

mirrors, gilt wood, and chandeliers”.

A French trumeau over the fireplace, flanked on either side by

Spanish vestry mirrors, crystal laden table lamps, and large rock

crystal chandelier bejewel the main salon…

An entire wall of leather bound books, a long, sensuous sofa…

Beige, brown, fawn are accented with black and crystal…

The scale of the chandeliers, coromandel screens,

mirrors all reflect her intrepid personality.

A small herd of carved wood deer silently occupy the space...

“An Interior is the natural projection of the soul and Balzac

was right to give as much importance to it

as to the way people dress…”,

she once confided to biographer Paul Morland.

Beyond the large scale furnishings, the small items, finds,

and gifts that were kept and treasured

tell a more personal story …

Greek statue on her fireplace mantle …

“Le garden de cochons (the pig keeper) of silver and

gems may have been found by Chanel at a flea market”

Chanel considered wheat to be her lucky charm…

here it glints in gold on book bindings.

“Once while Givenchy sat in the drawing room, a piece of crystal

fell from the chandelier. He placed it in the mouth of the frog

and it was never removed. “

“This tiny cage was a present from a retiring employee”

“Vermeil boxes were presents from the Duke of Westminster”

A golden wheat based glass table…

In addition to deer, crystal balls, religious symbols,

and lions (she was a Leo), Chanel loved wheat …

Italian Baroque panels…

with wheat tucked in a crevice.

Coco Chanel’s Apartment

click to watch video

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House and Garden archives…