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Ellie’s family kitchen exudes an enticing mix of Parisian grandeur and English country warmth.

In the heart of Paris’s prestigious 8th arrondissement, where the Champs-Élysées cuts a course direct to the Arc de Triomphe, sits the apartment of a busy family of four (and Laika the dog). Built in the early Haussmann period, the property’s original layout comprised large, formal entertaining spaces and an impractically small kitchen tucked at the back of the apartment by the service stairs. When interior designer Ellie Peugeot and her family moved in, the space needed reconfiguring, as she explains: ‘Given the fact that we love to cook and have a young family, we wanted to create a large, open kitchen that was the heart of our home. We therefore sacrificed the second salon � called the petit salon � into a new open-plan kitchen which is right off the entrance foyer.�

It was at this point that Ellie, who has designed many London projects, turned to Neptune. While the property is a testament to French architecture, with ornate plasterwork and intricate handmade panelling, she wanted to create a distinctly English kitchen that would sit comfortably alongside her elegant contemporary style. 

Neptune kitchen designer Rémi Fiacchetti recalls the brief: ‘Ellie already had a layout in mind � an L-shaped kitchen with an island and a breakfast nook � and she wanted to keep her metre-long Lacanche range cooker. I advised against including the breakfast nook, as it has a more rustic look and didn’t feel quite right for a Parisian apartment. Instead, I suggested placing seating at the island and incorporating a standalone breakfast cabinet to create a refined, visually uncluttered layout.�

Ellie and her husband opted for Henley cabinetry with a large Suffolk larder customised with Henley-style mouldings. ‘I was drawn to the beautiful exposed wood on the Henley cabinet interiors and Neptune’s ability to make bespoke pieces to fit our needs,� says Ellie. ‘I also loved the smaller details, like the pull-out rail for tea towels, the utilitarian metal storage inserts for cleaning products under the sink, the built-in chopping blocks, and the magnetic spotlights in the glass cabinets.�

Good flow, plenty of storage, and a lower-level counter on the main island where the children could have their meals were also high on the wish list. ‘We entertain a lot,� adds Ellie, ‘so the kitchen needed two fridges, two freezers, two large bins, and two larders. We love that we have space for everything, whether we are baking with the kids or having a dinner party for 30 people.�

Once the layout had been agreed, Ellie looked to natural materials and the couple’s collection of artworks for aesthetic inspiration. ‘I had already identified a series of
slabs of Calacatta Crestola marble in Italy that I knew I wanted to use, so this set the tone for the kitchen’s colour palette,� she explains. ‘We also decided to make a bespoke Marmorino plaster colour for the cooker hood and walls to complement the warmer shades in the marble.�

A metre-long brass sink, 1970s Spanish leather bar stools, and campaign-style curule chairs add textured patinas and rich colour to the restrained space, while the parquet
floor seamlessly links the kitchen with the formal salon next door.

The result? A hardworking family kitchen that exudes a unique blend of Parisian chic and English country warmth. It has also proved the most popular of gathering spaces in this stylish apartment, as Ellie notes: ‘It’s the first room you come into in the apartment, the place where we have breakfast together as a family every morning and the most packed spot whenever we entertain.�

Use our kitchen cost calculator to get an estimate of your Neptune kitchen’s cost, from cabinetry to installation. Then book a free consultation with our design experts and let the creativity begin.