MEET THE DESIGNER

Nathalie Sarton of Maison Mère

It’s a small leap from the bright lights of the TV stage to the glow of a beautifully renovated interior. Nathalie Sarton, of interior design agency Maison Mère, is the perfect example.

After 20 years covering decoration and lifestyle stories, this former journalist decided to take that very leap. Having retrained in interior decor, she founded the interior design agency Maison Mère. Adept at finding inspiration all around her, her mission is to bring warmth and character to each space she touches.

Nathalie gave Riluxa an insight into her work as a designer and explained how, on a day-to-day basis, her second life draws inspiration from her first.

First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself and your background. How did your career in design begin? 

My name is Nathalie Sarton. I’m 45 years old, married and I have two lovely teenagers aged 13 and almost 17. My interior architecture agency, Maison Mère, is based in Montmorency in the north of Paris, but my work brings me to every part of Paris.

My route into design was a little bit unusual. Before creating Maison Mère and starting my own business, I spent 20 years working in media – in journalism and television production. Some of the best-known programmes I worked on were for the French network M6, such as 66 Minutes and 100% Mag with Cyril Lignac.

During those two decades, I came into contact with the world of décor very often, as a lot of the shows I worked on covered homes and everyday life, and especially interior design. In particular, I worked a lot with the designer Sophie Ferjani and I learned a lot from her and other great pros of the industry. Through this professional involvement and the home renovation projects I took on personally, I came to discover a real passion!

I had begun renovating houses as a hobby which I was enjoying enormously. My husband suggested that I look into helping friends and taking on other people’s houses rather than our own, so that we could stop moving house every three years! It’s also true to say that, at that time, I was enjoying my work as a journalist less, and I felt a need to break into a new field. My husband’s suggestion came at just the right time.

So, like many others, I made the most of my time during the pandemic to do some soul searching and take on some training courses, even though I wasn’t sure at first where they would bring me. One thing led to another, and potential clients began to approach me. So at that stage, I undertook further training to gain more technical expertise and launched my business.

I recognise that I have given up an interesting career but, for me, interior design is an all-consuming passion. The choice was easy as this doesn’t feel like work to me. To be able to help people feel good at home by creating their own cocoon and finding ways to incorporate what they love, no matter what constraints there might be, makes me incredibly happy.

The renovated living room of Project La Signoria, a Haussmann-style home in Paris.

Could you talk us through your creative process – how do you approach each client and each new project?  

Every client is different, with their own wishlist and their own tastes. That means, they often lean towards very different styles: some want to create a Haussmannian home, others prefer a more Scandinavian aesthetic, others still are looking for a “country house” look. We get down to the nitty gritty details together, by talking about materials and colours that they do and don’t like, which helps me make suggestions for style, colours and materials.

A charming foyer in a renovated 19th Century home in Paris, with all of its original features restored.

For example, I worked on a typical house built in the ‘90s that didn’t stand out for being a mansion or having unique architectural features – it was a country house with quite a simple style. The brief was to bring some character to the house, and I feel there are so many houses in the same boat – they’re not yet old but they’re also not modern, they’re just crying out to be updated! For that project, I didn’t want to try to create a period style nor did I want to do anything too modern. We decided to go for an approach that’s understated but chic, with a touch of countryside spirit.

When it comes to decorating a room, I always identify a strong feature of the space and work around that. In the bathroom of that country house, for example, the wooden beams weren’t at all attractive. They were very dark and didn’t reveal their beauty in any way. We considered whether to keep the wood as it was or to repaint them. In the end, we decided on bleaching them, which was how we discovered this beautiful colour underneath as we began to sand the beams. It made us want to use more wood throughout bathroom. And then, in order to add contrast and texture and to keep the room chic as well as country, I decided to add touches of marble.

The exposed beams in the bathroom of a ‘90s home reveal their beauty in this newly renovated design.

The layout of ‘90s buildings is often very interesting - it would be a shame to lose what’s good about them due to a lack of appreciation. This property, for example, was 400m2 and very nicely proportioned. It’s very calming to live in and a really bright space, so I wanted to bring even more warmth: we replaced the tiles with parquet, we reworked the beams, and we brought in a very chic country decor with beautiful materials, like Corten Steel (weathered steel). It’s one of my favourite materials and I use it on walls, planters, on verandas or even furniture. It is a raw material that, thanks to its colour, brings both softness and warmth to a home.

The house also had a 120m2 concrete basement with very high ceilings (2.6m), which you almost never find in a basement. The previous owners had used it for storage, but we transformed it into a “fun room”: a movie room, games room, and turned the garage into a huge gym with a glass surround.

A typical ‘90s built home in the Paris region, completely transformed post renovation.

What inspires you? Do you have any particular resources or sources of inspiration you return to time and again?

I get a lot of inspiration from everyday life. Anything can inspire me: a place, an atmosphere, an art exhibition… In this profession, everything is a source of inspiration for me, and that’s a real pleasure. I also constantly have my nose stuck in a book; I think it’s an occupational hazard! Pinterest also gives me great ideas, but it’s travel that brings the personal and creative touch. I am a great traveller! In fact, I’m just back from Ibiza where I picked up so many new ideas… You see a lot of stone and straw and I like the idea of bringing imposing stone into a house. I found a real joie de vivre there, materials, fabrics, colours… It made me want to bring colour to my current projects.

To feed my inspiration, I also look at suppliers’ websites, and visit antique dealers, hotels, or restaurants. Apicius in Paris, with its sublime drapery is one such example or, just recently, I was in a brewery where I took pictures of everything that caught my eye: a chair, a painting…everything! Restaurant bathrooms are often very inventive, whether it’s the shape of the taps, or the choice of towel. We don’t pay enough attention to them, which is a shame. After all, the bathroom is an important room that all your guests will end up visiting. I like to find inspiration in places that pay attention to all the small details of our daily lives. And then I try to bring a little touch of a hotel into my residential designs, because what I enjoy especially about staying in a hotel are the services and amenities they give us access to. Many of these are actually quite easy to bring into our daily lives.

Do you have a signature style? How would you classify it?  

I’m don’t consider myself tied to any one style; I like Haussmann-style but I always want a home to feel warm. I love old stone and am very fond of old, imposing parquet floors and beautiful mouldings. In some recent projects, however, there were no beautiful fireplace or mouldings to guide me. So, I had to find other ways to elevate the space. It gave me a real desire to tackle newer houses to get out of my comfort zone by finding ways to bring charm and character to these types of buildings. I’m having a huge amount of fun doing just that!

The kitchen of this 19th Century home was entirely transformed using a striking combination of materials during its renovation by Maison Mère.

At the moment, I’m working on a relatively recently built house, which was designed by an architect. The goal here is quite different, because the house is magnificent but a little cold. There’s a lot of glass, long stretches, and a lack of colour. I like the challenge of bringing in warmth and life. That’s probably what best defines my work: I like to bring a room to life by focusing on all the little details – to make a room elegant yet comfortable and cosy at the same time. It’s also important to take into account how a room will be used so that everything is organised in a logical fashion. That way, a home is pleasant to live in on a day-to-day basis and there’s no need to spend time searching for anything: everything has its place.

What would you say are the key trends within the world of bathroom design right now?

Right now, we’re seeing a lot of marble in bathroom designs. For such a long time, marble was associated with a classic grey and white look that was somewhat dull and cold. Personally, I absolutely adore a white marble with beautiful gold veining, but these days we have access to incredible marbles in any colour you can think of. That’s the biggest trend I would say. At the same time, we should be careful not to choose a look that will quickly look dated or go out of fashion.

The other big trend I’m witnessing in bathrooms and showers is the use of Zellige tiles – handcrafted clay tiles from Morocco. They’re incredibly pretty and, since they give such a natural result, I believe there’s less risk of the look becoming dated. We’re seeing more and more wood in the bathroom too. The style of the moment is probably a striking piece of furniture made of wood, combined with a beautiful stone or another attractive material – the very definition of elegance.

Tell us about your relationship with Riluxa and why you’ve chosen to use Riluxa pieces in some of your projects. Which products have you used?

I came across Riluxa when renovating the 400m2 house I mentioned earlier, for which I planned to use a marble basin. But since we also have to think of everyday maintenance and the practical side of things, I began considering alternatives. So, I arrived on Riluxa’s site looking for a marble-inspired material. I chose a double basin in Corian Colour Sand Storm that had shades of the golden marble we used for the wall and the shower. I love materials and colours that are reminiscent of one another, without being completely identical.

The bathroom of a renovated ‘90s built home in Paris. Featuring Riluxa products: the Sagitta wall-mounted double washbasin in Corian® Colour Sand Storm, the Gaia Classic wall-mounted Cabinet in Solid Oak and our Paris Freestanding Bathtub.

This wall-mounted basin became the incredible centrepiece to the room, which we complemented with marble and wood. The idea was to bring character to the home while keeping to a light and soothing palette. Then we added some accents through the use of materials like wicker and jute.

A closeup of the Sagitta washbasin in Corian® Colour Sand Storm, showing its swirling marbled effect.

I also chose Riluxa’s Gaia wall-mounted cabinet, which was made to measure in solid wood. I really liked the option to add drawer dividers and additional hidden drawers to make the family’s organisation so much easier.

I was attracted to Riluxa for several reasons:

• They offer a great selection of high quality and elegant materials.
• It’s possible to create bespoke high-end products, at prices that remain very competitive.

- And, above all, we have the option of configuring everything directly on the website: the size and width, the shape of the basin, whether we need a tap hole or not, with a towel holder or without...

A closer look at the hidden interior drawers and drawer dividers in the Gaia Classic cabinet, which was made to measure for this project.

When the products arrived, they were immaculately packaged and protected. It’s clear that you’re dealing with a high-end range of products. I’ve been delighted with my experience of Riluxa from beginning to end and will gladly suggest your products to future clients. It’s rare to find solid wood furniture that can be made to measure, and with such a wide range of configuration options.

The process itself was very simple – once we decided what we wanted, a consultant sent the technical plans for sign off. Then the order was sent to production right away. Offering beautiful made to measure products at a very competitive price is what makes Riluxa so interesting.

Best piece of advice for people renovating their bathroom or designing a new bathroom from scratch?

For me, the bathroom is the most complicated room to plan and decorate, far more so than the kitchen. There are so many surfaces involved and materials to consider - the walls, the shower, the floor, the vanity cabinet, as well as the taps and the bathroom cabinet. There’s definitely a risk of visual overkill, of the materials outdoing one another. My starting point is always to ask:

1. What material is an absolute mush-have in my bathroom? Zellige? Concrete? I start with the material and work from there. You have to think of materials and colours as two separate choices … meaning you could use the one material in two different colours, or use the same colour twice, but in different materials. A good framework is to decide on a limit of two or three different materials, or to choose two strong colours and use a third very sparingly.

2. Having chosen my materials, I then focus on the washbasin, which is the key piece in a bathroom. Try to invest in the best you can afford, or at the very least, go for something original here! For example, you might find an attractive countertop basin in an antique store.

3. Finally, the taps. Choose these to coordinate with the mirror, or some pretty towel hooks. Add in a stylish basket or beautiful towels or flowers. Those are the kinds of finishing touches that elevate the whole look.

What’s been your career highlight to date and what do you still dream of achieving?

I’m in the early stages of my design career, I’m 45 years old and I have it all ahead of me! Each project feels like my first, and my passion is to inspire a new appreciation for houses from the “in-between period” – those built in the ‘80s and ‘90s. The houses that are destined to become the “old houses” for our children’s generation. Estate agents tell me that people find it hard to picture themselves in these homes and imagine the changes than can be made to them. I want to provide that inspiration.

I would also love to take on the renovation or interior design of a hotel, or a meeting place. That would be the ultimate for me, since decorating a restaurant or a hotel is a very different beast to working on private homes.

Are you currently reading any interesting books you’d recommend?

I read a little bit of everything, with a lot of variety. Right now, I cannot get enough of historical fiction. Luca Di Fulvio is an author I love: he sets his historical novels in an old Italy with colourful characters and very tough stories. I‘ve just finished ‘The Anomaly’ by Hervé Le Tellier, and Nicolas Beuglet’s crime novels. He’s another former journalist.

I also like to get lost in interior design books: recently, I bought a book from the interior designer Sarah Lavoine, ‘Couleurs Sarah’, and I gave in to the book ‘Sous les toits de Paris’, by Inès de la Fressange, a very beautiful book full of Paris style and décor inspiration.

My references are quite wide and varied, I guess because of my background as a journalist. If I had the chance one day to write my own décor book, I must say I would jump at the opportunity! The urge to write will surely catch up with me again one of these days.

Follow Nathalie Sarton’s renovations projects on her Instagram account and let yourself be inspired by the incredible before and after transformations on her website: Maisonmère.com.

If you would like your bathroom project to be featured on Riluxa's Client Projects Showcase, tag #riluxa @riluxa on Instagram or upload your images directly by clicking here. We love nothing more than seeing how our customers have used Riluxa products to create their dream bathrooms!