06 Apr A Design Lesson from the Hôtel de Carnavalet

We try to forget that nothing in this world can be perfect (and Neoclassical French architecture is especially guilty of this denial), but sometimes we are forced to face that reality. This photograph shows the connection of two paneled rooms whose door heights did not align upon installation. Rather than ignoring the problem, it was resolved with a subtle, curved ceiling that sensitively merges the two passages. One result is that disparate elements are seamlessly unified, but the greater success is that a guest noticing this house ‘secret’ is instantly more involved in the space he is about to enter. The viewer is now part of the trick, an expert in the space, and in some small way its master.