What started as a casual meet-up with vermouth, lime, and ice cocktails turned into a new career, a new passion, and the creation of a beautiful vintage home. For Isabelle Gilles and Yann Poncelet, those cocktails were the very beginning of their design studio, Colonel, which officially launched in 2010.
Since that fateful day, Isabelle and Yann have worked together to restore vintage furniture, present their collections, and create their beautiful home in Paris, defined by their love of vintage furniture. Vintage-inspired furniture and décor are present throughout their home, creating a laid-back and cozy atmosphere.
Isabelle and Yann’s living area is the epitome of comfort and style, with gorgeous vintage furniture enhanced by a feature wall backdrop. The stunning green and blue upholstery works in harmony with the prominent green and blue of the feature wall. The vibrancy is then toned down with a neutral rug, beautiful herringbone pattern wood flooring, and a fresh white wall.
Being designers means Yann and Isabelle pay attention to the finer details. They managed to isolate colors in the feature wall and elegantly tie them into the furniture. The vibrant red cushion complements the flora, while the earthy green sofa seamlessly blends into the green trees.
While mostly decorated with neutral, earthy colors, your eyes can’t help but be drawn to the wooden folding chairs with vibrant red fabric. This quaint living space is a nod to former decades while still having a modern freshness about it.
The dining area in Isabelle and Yann’s home is spacious and comfortable for enjoying a meal. Plenty of natural light emanates from the two large windows. The wooden trestle-style table paired with retro school chairs between these two windows is a match made in heaven.
While symmetrical in its placement, Yann and Isabelle have opted for a more asymmetrical finish with a large lantern lamp on one side of the dining set and a collection of plants on small side tables on the other. The orange chairs and terracotta-colored pots tie in with the living room’s chairs and feature wall.
No living room is complete without a fire. The understated fireplace takes pride of place in the living room, with a large mirror above it offering a sense of light and space. A retro shelving unit with tapered legs beside it carries on that vintage-inspired theme.
Every room in Yann and Isabelle’s Paris home has been carefully decorated for enjoyment and style. Three shelves in the dining area house their book collection and form a feature wall. Even the hallway has been put to use with two additional wall shelves for extra books. A gallery wall and two vintage style chairs turn this previously unused space into a practical extra room to enjoy.
What started as cocktails between two passionate designers, Isabelle Gilles and Yann Poncelet, turned into the launch of a new design studio, Colonel, and a beautiful Paris home displaying their vintage finds.
