Joseph Karam is, above all, a modern man.
˝I will do a classical style if my clients ask, but for myself, I am
against this,˝ says the Beirut-born, Paris-based interior architect.
˝We progress in everything else: in electronics, in building
technology, in our style of clothes. Why in decoration do we
need to regress?˝ This confidently forward philosophy unfolds
to stunning effect in the designers own elegant pied-à-terre.
Located on the top two floors of an early 20th century stone
building, the home basks in the splendor of Nice—the land of
legendary chic.
˝There is Lebanese style in my pied-à-terre, ˝ he reflects,
noting the black and white striped stone wall inspired by a
the entrance of a souk in the north of Lebanon. ˝I have lived
half of my life in Paris and half in Lebanon, but when I am
here, I choose what is beautiful here, what is good in Paris,
and what was good in Lebanon—what is good from the two
cultures,˝ Karam explains. ˝In Lebanon, they have the quality
of hospitality; here, there is the quality of organization, beautiful
interiors
things, civic education. In each culture they have beautiful
things—and it influences how we think about decoration.
When you create the concept for your design, all the elements
of culture emerge inside this artistic world.˝
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