Light is an element that’s prized in interiors, but it’s not always the spaces flooded with sunshine that are the most captivating. This Beirut apartment in the city's central Clemenceau district has a chiaroscuro beauty, achieved by capitalising on its combination of shaded and open spaces, and by adorning them with contrasting light and dark materials.
The four-bedroom home was designed by Beirut- and London-based architect Elie Riachi for a businessman in the oil industry. “He’s constantly travelling, and this is his pied-à-terre,” Riachi explains. “He appreciates design, and has a large collection of artworks by regional artists.” Having owned the apartment for some years, the client asked Riachi to give it an overhaul, getting rid of dated features without altering the layout. “It was what I would call a facelift,” recalls Riachi. “I stripped out all the bathrooms and the old joinery, and removed the false ceilings in most of the spaces. The beautiful tiled limestone floors I kept, as they worked with my vision of having a neutral, understated backdrop.”
Riachi’s concept was shaped by the homeowner’s desire for a layered, lived-in interior that reflected his love of different cultures and aesthetics. It was also influenced by the Beirut apartment itself: located on the first floor of an early 2000s building fronted by landscaped gardens and a fountain, it’s close to Beirut’s famous Corniche waterfront. “This gives the reception rooms a very eclectic atmosphere, combining the energy of the city passing in front of you like a TV screen with the relaxing feel of greenery,” says Riachi.
Contrasts are instinctive for the designer. “As an architect who has transitioned naturally into interior design, I’ve learned the importance of layering,” he reflects. “My approach is to highlight the architectural features of a space. My inspiration always comes from Brutalist buildings and midcentury design, as they reveal the essence of materials, spaces and objects. I allow a space to lead me to the configuration that suits it best.”
With this apartment, the layering process began with the entrance hall, which played a key role in shaping the rest of the design. Dark and enclosed, with a ceiling lower than those in the other rooms, it needed careful treatment; Riachi leaned into its sombreness, “making it darker to make it lighter”. He installed panelling and perforated screens in American walnut, a timber chosen for its rich, timeless quality. Edged in travertine, the screens create dappled patterns when the sun shines. “The louvres are inspired by mashrabiya, in homage to our culture,” he says. “The square openings create a whimsical dance. I wanted people to be intrigued by what happens beyond this dark, moody entrance.”
What lies beyond is a living space which, though much more open and expansive, follows the same material language. Riachi created the custom walnut-and-travertine fireplace, puncturing it with vertical openings and linear alabaster wall sconces to echo the screens. The silk-and-wool rug by Nalbandian has a subtle striated pattern that’s mirrored in a custom sofa of Riachi’s design, covered in textured ivory fabric and finished with a ribbed walnut base. Bordering the dining table is a built-in drinks bar, again in walnut and travertine, with perforated doors simultaneously concealing and revealing it.
Knowing that the homeowner rotates his art displays made Riachi determined to keep to a palette of earthy neutrals. For similar reasons, he chose a matt finish for all the timber and stone in the apartment, emphasising their sensuality and durability. “I wanted the canvas to be strong enough to carry any tone put on top of it,” he says. This was especially important given that much of the furniture consists of rare pieces, each contributing its own strong identity. Among the items that Riachi sourced from flea markets and galleries in Paris and London are an ivory 1950s Cleopatra daybed by Dutch designer Dick Cordemeijer and a 1960s walnut desk by Silvio Coppola for Bernini. These midcentury treasures were juxtaposed with quirky contemporary designs: the George Geara dining table and a brass-and-zinc coffee table by French-Serbian artist Marko reintroduce the theme of graphic lines, while Edoardo Lietti’s Sedia Tonda chair recalls the cut-out finish of the screens.
Together with carefully chosen artworks, such as Léo Pacha’s patinated metal sculpture entitled The Hiker, this creates the layered narrative that Riachi sought. Further contrasts come into play between the public and private spaces: whereas the living room focuses on tones of ivory, greige, brown and black, bedrooms and bathrooms introduce subtle colour variations. “The bespoke curved headboards were inspired by the foliage on the apartment’s balconies, with hints of faded olive green and rusty orange,” says Riachi, who enhanced the softness of the principal bedroom by covering wardrobe doors in French linen. “The spaces I design must feel comfortable and easy,” adds the designer. “The owner of this home loves how versatile it is, and the way it keeps intriguing him.” @elieriachidesign
