A Plastic Surgery Clinic in Paris Cuts an Impressive Figure

Interior architecture firm Le Berre Vevaud converts a ubiquitous Haussmann apartment into a florid yet refined doctor’s office.

Clinique 05
Courtesy Stephan Julliard

Set in Paris’s swanky 16th Arrondissement, the bold Georges Mandel plastic surgery clinic emerges from an unassuming Haussmann residential block. Celebrated Parisian interior architecture duo Le Berre Vevaud (LBV) transformed the compact 426-square-foot flat—adorned in neo-classical ornamentation and a Cartesian star-shape layout—with a vivid yet consistent scheme. The talents have imbued the historical locale with contemporary flair. “The original space was completely revised on both a technical and decorative level,” LBV coprincipal Raphaël Le Berre explains. “The volumes of the space were retained, but most of the interior was reframed to meet the client’s needs. The aim was to create a more fluid connection between the different rooms.”

Clinique 36
Courtesy Stephan Julliard

Given carte blanche, the duo envisioned a design that could make the most of the apartment’s morphology. Sharp geometric reliefs and graphic patterns cast in textured salmon and mustard hues drive this vision home. “The thread running through the project can be felt as each room was treated with the same stylistic vocabulary and smooth concrete surfaces but contains its own materiality, color, and DNA.” LBV coprincipal Thomas Vevaud Raphaël describes. “Oak parquet floors tie everything together.”

Clinique 18
Courtesy Stephan Julliard

The main clinic is located at the end of a large “rhythmic” corridor—complete with lacquered glass paneling and custom benches embroidered in Pierre Frey textiles. A central gallery space leads off into a series of formal parlors that were subdivided to accommodate a series of examination rooms. The main area was also split in two to ensure that the waiting room could run adjacent to the surgeon’s office. “Our goal was to break up the monotony of perspective,” Le Berre adds. A statement fireplace mantel that anchors the waiting room was assembled from angular slabs of pink marble and coated with a splattered finish developed by local artisan Solene Eloy of Atelier du Mur. A similar scheme carries through in a pink terrazzo-clad bathroom. Throughout the clinic, Renaissance and Restoration-era strip solid oak doors pivot to reveal large bays, ensuring an easy passage between different rooms.


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Clinique 37
Courtesy Stephan Julliard

Bespoke furnishings designed by LBV include a curvilinear lacquered steel, white brushed oak, and white beauty marble desk placed prominently in the main aqua blue-accented “cabinet” or doctor’s office. The duo’s equally amoebic BELIZE console and GIULIA coffee table can be found in the waiting room. LBV almost always creates custom pieces for its residential and commercial interiors. “Every project must meet the functional and technical demands appropriate to the professional life of our clients,” Le Berre explains. “Once these constraints are understood, we conceive and produce furnishings that allow us to play with new shapes and materials while still respecting the architectural style of the project at hand.” FLOS Snoopy Touch pendants, vintage 50s sofas, Parachilna lamps by Chinoz, and carpets tufted by Tai Ping Carpets add finishing touches.

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Courtesy Stephan Julliard

Clinique Georges Mandel is an excellent example of LBV’s unabashedly eclectic yet succinct approach. The duo tackles each new brief with a blank slate approach, yet certain aesthetic choices define its practice. “Our style is always nourished by the same references, revisited neoclassicism with echoes of Bauhaus and Art Deco, as well as Palladian principles,” Raphaël explains. “Our architecture is defined by an attention to detail and by bringing together numerous craftspeople to create different decors with centuries-old French know-how.”

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