Florence Lopez’s winter den

I recently went to visit my friend Florence Lopez’s showroom . Florence is my favorite antiques dealer in Paris , she has unique vision and huge cojones because she gets away with installations and sources pieces that no one else would think of and is very sure of her taste . I met her decades ago when I was decorating my Paris home and ended up befriending her after buying a few pieces from her, soulful pieces that I still own and cherish . It took me 4 years to decorate my flat because I could not afford to buy the pieces I wanted , so I just kept it empty until I managed to pay them off , little by little, piece by piece, the special objects I wanted to have around me .

So my flat became very personal and inspiring to me, I know the story of each piece and nothing that I bought at the time was banal or just for practical reasons. Actually , there was nothing practical about my flat : it was a place for working , producing huge photo shoots, casting hundreds of models , taking meetings with chic clients and organizing big rowdy dinners and dances, so the furniture in there had to serve all those functions as well as be sturdy and look good.

Florence’s showroom is in an artist’s atelier in the heart of Saint Germain . The decor and color scheme changes every 6 months . I go to visit her when I am in Paris and on this last occasion fell in love with the green color that she has used to paint the main room and the graphic abstract black and white motifs she painted on the bedroom walls.  I also fall in love with a few pieces on each visit and then I am heartbroken when the following season they are no longer there. I could never be an antique dealer….I would get too attached to certain objects and would end up being a collector instead.

Below is what the showroom looks like today and if you want to read about each individual piece go here .

All the wonderful photos are by Philippe Garcia.

and last but not least , a portrait of Florence.