At its core, Parisian chic design is an homage to the fashion and luxury – past and present – of the City of Light, and a way to bring a little slice of it into your home. It’s one part modern, one part antique, and all about luxury and style. As with any theme, Parisian chic design is best done on a smaller scale (say, a single room) to keep it simple, keep it subtle, and to keep it from overwhelming the rest of your design. I find the best place to try out a Parisian chic design is in a bathroom – it’s a great place for luxury, a great place to feel pampered, and a small enough room that you won’t get lost in the little details. Intrigued? Here are a few designs – and the stuff you’ll need to recreate them in your own bathroom!
At the simplest end, Parisian chic bathroom design can be little more than Paris-themed. Take this sleek, modern black and white bathroom for instance. The Freestanding Tub and Lutezia Console Sink aren’t really anything out of the ordinary for a modern design. But the inclusion of black and white prints of scenes of Paris give the bathroom a subtle Parisian chic. Many different types of artwork can create this effect – from architectural snapshots to miniature impressionist paintings or sketches, or even blown up postcards of the city itself. Paintings and photos aren’t quite windows, but having a bathroom with a lot of different “views” of Paris will help make your bathroom feel like a getaway.
Just about any piece of room decor can help create a little sense of sweet sweet Paris, from a souvenir Eiffel Tour to a mirror with a Fleur De Lis detailing. But the most inviting, authentic Parisian Chic styles are the ones that are the most inventive. I love this setup – combining a simple, compact Console Vanity and Vessel Sink with an old fashioned bicycle, making it functional by removing the handles and turning the front basket into a towel rack. The little details help as well – from the prints on the wall and the rugged mirror to the Restoration Wall Sconce, every little bit adds both charm and whimsy to your Parisian chic design. You could even add a Paris-themed shower curtain, towels, or mats for a nice finishing touch.
Of course, if you’re planning a major remodel and are considering a Parisian Chic design, that’s an entirely different thing all together. Sure, you still want to have small accent pieces – wall art and statuary and so on – that create a Paris-like vibe. But you also want to go bigger. A Parisian chic remodel is largely a modern remodel, but you want to keep a nice balance between old world, antique influence and modern design. I like the vibe of this Parisian Chic bathroom, with the simple, all-white Charleston Clawfoot Tub, and showy Crystals Chandelier. The hexagonal tile and wainscotting on the walls are pure classic inspiration, but the border-free glass shower and solid black wall paint are nothing if not modern. Gauzy, bedroom style curtains add a lush texture to the room, and the picture-perfect Parisian Accent Chair and white dressing table perfectly round out a decadent, historical-Paris inspired bathroom with a bold fashion-forward finish.
Chandeliers are actually incredibly important to creating a Parisian chic bathroom. They’re a signature sign of old world elegance, but choosing a bolder, modern style is a great way to get a more modern Parisian chic. Glossy black chandeliers like this Winslow Chandelette are a great modern twist on the look, especially for a black and white bathroom, and fit much better with a modern Parisian Chic decor. Even more bold are stark, silhouette-style chandeliers like this Bari Pendant that create a stunning modern look while maintaining a tongue-in-cheek old world style. A glossy black or white finish will put a modern twist on even the most old-world styles (from candle holders to bathroom vanities), honoring antique elegance while creating a more modern Parisian boutique style.
Adding over-the-top antique mirrors is another great way to instantly up the luxury level of your bathroom, and a great (and easy) way to create a Parisian chic feel. Again, glossy black or white paint is a nice way to add a modern touch, but really any mirror with an ornate frame will do. You can see that just adding a Grand Mirror and this small Envogue Chandelier instantly add a sense of luxury and decadence to an otherwise fairly simple bathroom. That’s what Parisian chic bathroom design is all about – your bathroom is a place you want to relax and indulge, and adding unexpectedly ornate pieces is the first step in building a bathroom that will make you feel pampered.
Of course, a Parisian Chic bathroom doesn’t have to be all modern and new looking. Something a little more well-worn can be just as appropriate. Take this beautiful shabby chic take on a Parisian Chic design – the huge Freestanding Tub is the pinnacle of decadence all by itself, with a gorgeous metal finish and deep interior that’s a bubble bather’s dream. But the rest of the room is understated, with a salvaged mirror and weather-worn storage cabinet. The puffy pink towels add a nice feminine touch that brings back a little bit of that boutique feel, but it’s really the Accent Chair and Tray Table – the inclusion of French-inspired antique accent furniture, really – that gives this bathroom a true Parisian chic vibe – even if it’s a little more casual than some of the others here.
Even a very casual bathroom like the one above can have a subtle Parisian Chic vibe. The antique Clawfoot Tub goes a long way toward creating a Paris-like ambiance all by itself, with antique charm in spades and a subtly worn black finish that’s fabulously timeless. But the little details matter here, too – the simple framed pictures and patterned fabric curtains add texture and depth to the room, and the terracotta floor tile and stone accents bring in a hint of nature and color. This bathroom has a little less of the city vibe, but more of the slow-paced, relaxing, late-morning-in-a-sunny-cafe part of Paris – a little style, a little luxury, and maybe a nice hot bubble bath.
My favorite Parisian Chic bathrooms, though, are ones that have a little bit of both. The Mirrored Vanity in this bathroom is modeled after old antique styled vanities, but the mirrored surfaces on all sides – especially the oddly-angled ones – are utterly modern and make for an opulent, stylish look without any of the more traditional carved wood. Same goes for the lighting fixtures – the Crystal Flush Mount and Crystal Sconces are made of entirely traditional materials and an ornate antique style, but are probably the most ornate items in the whole room (and are much less formal than even a simple bathroom chandelier). The salvaged antique door is also a nice touch, with fine woodwork and antique hardware that add softness and character to a whole lot of cold, modern materials. What really seals the deal though is the way the natural light pays over the marble tiles and walls, creating space that’s brighter and more open than you’d expect from the component parts.
As you can see, Parisian Chic bathrooms take a lot of forms, from modern to antique and every combination of the two in between. But it isn’t so hard to create once you know what you’re looking for. Whether you’re doing a big bathroom remodel or just want a subtle change, a Parisian Chic design is both visually pleasing and comfortable to use – a perfect combination for your own private getaway. What do you love about the Parisian Chic style? Are you looking to do a major remodel or just reaccessorize?
