The architecture of feeling

Within this Haussmann-inspired apartment sold by Junot, designer and architect Hugo Toro shapes a reassuring yet stimulating daily life. He satisfies owners’ aesthetic appetites, without turning the place into a museum-apartment. The Franco-Mexican designer is delighted with these relevant scenographies born of encounters and chance: "I love the accidental, unexpected or surprising aspects driving the mechanisms of all living things. I believe in the richness of eclecticism, because it offers a future to what already exists. Here, moldings and stained glass tell a story that we're going to connect to the present through contemporary pieces and creations. A singular identity, yet a universal emotion." Hospitality and warmth are virtues firmly upheld here and regarded as almost sacred. Charlotte Perriand's green chair with its inviting tubular lines plays with its position, halfway between the stone bathroom and the monastic entrance. In the living room, a monumental, angular travertine screen, as if levitating, allows the softness of the fabrics and seats to amplify their exuberant curves through a contrasting effect..

The encounter of possibilities

Hugo Toro is an expert in the intricacies of storytelling. Each room in this property expresses its uniqueness, while participating in a more integral narrative. From the doorway, a new perspective arouses curiosity and since each universe coexists without confrontation, choosing no longer means losing. The alumnus of the Penninghen school in Paris confides: "Connection is fundamental. I always define my profession as the articulation of transitions between spaces and materials. Framing plays an important part in my approach, linking the first and second planes. For example, from the living room, this colossal mineral fireplace directs the eye as if fascinated by a monolith." The use of color is also a means for Hugo Toro to bring nuances to his scenario. Brown is a guiding thread through the apartment. From the scalloped leather of the bed to the hand-painted crackled-lacquer kitchen furniture, not forgetting the numerous wood paneling, chocolate hues reconcile radicalities. The artist adds: "Color enables subliminal echoes to develop between rooms. In this case, the blue of the bedroom's stained-glass windows resonates in the TV room and complements the emerald green of the entrance hall. The color scheme sets the finishing touch to the overall coherence of this residence.”