Inside Rationale founder Richard Parker’s restored 17th century Paris apartment
It took five years and the delicate navigation of both the pandemic and French bureaucracy to coax the skincare maestro’s Marias base back to life.
Walking into his exquisitely restored Parisian apartment for the first time Melbourne-based skincare entrepreneur Richard Parker was spellbound.
“It was magic, I’ll never forget it. It was a very sunny winter’s morning when we arrived in Paris, and we hadn’t seen the project completed at all because virtually everything was done remotely,” he says.
“It was cinematic. It was surreal. To see all these beautiful spaces filled with our art collection and everything illuminated with that distinctly soft, Parisian light that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world. Walking into that was like a dream, a fantasy.”
The euphoria Parker and his partner felt was accentuated by the arduous five-year process they endured to realise their ambitious vision for the 17th century apartment, which was built by Palace of Versailles designer Jules Hardouin-Mansart.
Situated in the cultural and artistic hub of the Marais, the two bedroom, 200 sqm apartment is one of four in the former residence of King Louis XIV’s most revered architect. The apartment, which was significantly altered during a partial renovation in the 1970s, was purchased 10 years ago before the $2 million renovation process began in 2017.
Parker, a cosmetic chemist and founder of skincare company Rationale, decided to make Paris their northern hemisphere base as the luxury brand expanded.
“Our ambition was to marry a sense of international modernism with French heritage and culture,” Parker says.
That harmonious synergy was achieved through an extraordinary collaboration between Melbourne architect Randal Marsh of Wood Marsh and Paris-based architect Pauline Guillard. The apartment took out two prestigious awards in 2023, the Australian Institute of Architects Jorn Utzon Award for International Architecture and the International Chapter Architecture Awards, Hugh O’Neil Award for Interior Architecture.
“Working with these internationally recognised architects and master builders, what they brought to the project is that genius in uniting the ancient and the historic with modern luxury, high function and above all, comfort,” Parker says.
For Marsh, it was a labour of love despite the many challenges, including the delicate process of renovating a building housing rare and historic frescoes, as well as dealing with French bureaucracy.
“Because of the historic nature of the building being on the top level of historic importance in France means we were dealing with every level of French government, which is not easy on the simplest occasion, so on a complex and highly regarded property it was triple as difficult,” Marsh says.
“We worked with them, understood their concerns, put forward programs and methods of dealing with the issues as they arose. It was quite a mammoth task because of course they each had a different opinion. Even the most minor thing had to be negotiated.”
What makes the transformation even more miraculous is that most of the construction was done through covid. Planning and co-ordination required more than 350 drawing sheets and countless documents.
“It was difficult during covid because the works continued in France, but we couldn’t get there. So, we had to strengthen that trust in our international team even more. Of course, we were able to view things on Zoom, but it wasn’t the same. I think it was ultimately the trust and the talent of the team that got us through the covid crisis with the project,” Parker says.
Painstaking planning and precision were required with two master builders, both of whom had worked on Versailles, appointed for the delicate job.
“Mansart tested out various artists to do frescoes on both the ceiling and walls, from which he selected the artist that he used in Versailles. That meant that any movement we were proposing, such as lifting the floors, which were all uneven and not original, putting down a heat blanket and then new floors, had to be proven engineering wise and very delicately done,” Marsh says.
The heart of the home is the dusty tobacco pink formal dining room, centrally located within the apartment and from which the foyer, kitchen and living room branch off.
“Right in the centre of the apartment is this beautiful rich golden and pink dining room with the 17th century paintings on the walls, that had to be restored lovingly,” Parker says.
“It’s natural it became the heart of the home. We dine there, we work there and although we’ve got designated spaces for those things, it’s just one of those rooms that everyone’s drawn to, and it really is the heart of the house.”
The sublime inner sanctuary is home to two distinct artworks that reflect the synergy between the contemporary and classic. One is a 400-year-old painting above the fireplace.
“It was painted on canvas, that’s very unusual because paintings are normally painted onto the wall or they’re hung proud of the wall, but this was set into the moulding and on canvas,” Marsh says.
“We negotiated with the historic people that we would restore the painting, which required having the mouldings removed, taking the painting out, where we sent it to the Louvre to be restored at great expense.”
The historic artwork is juxtaposed with a Nathalie Ziegler Pasqua bespoke pendant over the maison Hermès dining table, and a striking green and white stripe work by famed French sculptor and artist Daniel Buren, commissioned by Parker and his partner.
“What we found out when we approached him (Buren) was that he’d done a proposal in the 1980s, 45 years ago for this building, and it never went ahead. He was so delighted to have a private commission for the house, right at the end of his career. It’s magical,” Marsh says.
Parker and his partner have an extensive collection of Australian and international art, which was a key element of the brief.
“I’m so proud of the way that the collection lives in the space. It’s like they live side-by-side. The ultra-modern and the old and ancient living together, and I love the fact that the apartment’s almost been designed as a showcase,” Parker says.
“The collection glows in that space and not a person comes in, it doesn’t matter if you’re very knowledgeable about the art, everybody who comes in appreciates the art, and talks about it and ask questions and makes comments.”
Marsh says art curator Murray White was brought onto the project to assist with the expert installation of unique pieces from artists including Brooke Andrew, Eddie Peake, Bill Viola, Aaron Carter, Polly Borland, Bill Henson, Ugo Rondinone and Omar Fast.
“The thing with art is its balance and that’s what we insisted on and got right in the apartment,” Marsh says.
While meticulous design and attention to every detail throughout makes the apartment a work of art in itself, Parker says it is still highly liveable.
“That’s very important to us. High design of course, but high function. Luxury and comfort are really important to us. We love our Paris apartment so very much and it makes us happy in so many ways, but it also is highly comfortable and highly functional. I say it’s our spiritual, but it’s also our physical home in Paris, and it works on every level. We just love it,” he says.
“Ultimately, it was like a Sleeping Beauty fantasy. We kissed this property, and it came back to life, this centuries old house that was slumbering. It was worth it all, to deal with those bureaucratic processes and people because in the end, something very beautiful was created that secures the building for hundreds of years to come. Every time I go there, I never lose that sense of awe and beauty and fantasy when I walk in.”
This story is from the July issue of WISH.
