Paix is a minimalist home located in Paris, France, designed by Meryl Motyka and Simon Mimoun Mersi. Mimoun and Motyka at Mersi understood something fundamental about this former hotel: its apparent flaw was actually its greatest asset. “Our profession allows us to work in exceptional buildings which are part of Paris’s architectural and historical heritage,” reflects the studio. “For the Paix project, we were immediately impressed by the building, a former hotel with monumental proportions. The challenge was just as great, with a dilapidated property frozen in time.”

The transformation centers on materiality as narrative device. Natural stone becomes the protagonist, its varied textures – smooth and fluted surfaces in cream, black, and anthracite – creating a tactile dialogue between past and present. This isn’t mere decoration but architectural storytelling, where each surface treatment guides the eye and body through space with deliberate intention.

The choice of materials speaks to a broader movement in contemporary French design, where noble substances like oak and polished nickel create continuity with classical traditions while asserting modern sensibilities. The bench area in the dining room exemplifies this approach, where traditional seating concepts merge with contemporary spatial planning to accommodate the apartment’s non-modular constraints.

What emerges is a project that transcends typical renovation boundaries. The designers didn’t simply restore – they reimagined the fundamental experience of moving through domestic space. The hallway becomes gallery, passage, and destination simultaneously, embodying what architectural theorist Juhani Pallasmaa might call “embodied space” – where material, light, and movement create meaning beyond mere function.