Atelier Varenne

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France
Paris
Atelier Varenne

We're a boutique Interior Architecture & Design studio specialized in transformative renovations

26/01/2026

The 2016 nostalgia has been contagious lately, and I've succumbed. It's been 10 years since I moved to Paris.

It took us years to stop the constant comparison with our previous life in Shanghai. It took us years to make Paris slowly, steadily, our home. Somewhere between school gates, shared meals, projects with clients, and years of simply showing up, we built something that didn’t exist here for us back then: a village.

Mid-way through, antagonised by world events (lockdowns, social isolation, aggravated loneliness), there were many moments when I was miserable. Now, taking stock again five years on, when I talk about my life in France, I complain from a place of love (really!)

Read more about it on my latest article (link in bio)

And if you're admiring our intricately beautiful family portrait, it's the magic of Stephanie Violo that graces our entrance, mingling & melding French, Chinese & Pakistani architecture into an altogether new cityscape, unique to us.

20/01/2026

Sometimes the most welcoming homes are simply the most lived-in, adaptable, and sincere.

They make guests feel “at home” because they reveal all the evidence of the daily lives lived within, instead of a staged moment. Designing spaces that easily accommodate the possibility of being opened up to guests don’t need a perfect setting.

It’s about creating spaces that support real interactions, imperfect moments, and shared rituals. The creation of memories.

17/01/2026

Popping up often on my radar these days is the idea of the non-curated.

As a contrast to the ubiquitous perfection of AI-generated everything, brands striving for authenticity are being messier in their product shots, influencers are turning from the perfect “shelfie” to clutter and disarray. In a world of artificially curated perfection, to be - and to display - imperfection, is to be more real, more human.

I’ve had conversations with innumerable clients about designing their homes to manage clutter, to quickly hide away the mess when needed. These conversations often coincide with the perceived need to have homes designed on the one hand for themselves and their families, and on the other for visitors and guests.

But here’s the thing - To “receive” — recevoir — is to open your home to others. It’s an act of generosity, intimacy, and trust. What guests will think, how things will look, how the home will be perceived - in other words the exterior gaze - shouldn’t define how you live. A home designed primarily for others rarely works well for the people who live in it every day. Interiors that easily support gatherings don’t actually begin with the guests. They begin with you — your daily life, your family rituals, and the way you naturally come together and yes, entertain.

Though the holiday season might be behind us, it's never not the right moment to host a dinner party, gather over food or common interests or just invite a neighbor in for coffee - one of my aims for this year is to host more, and I want it to be as stress free as possible. I put down some of my thoughts on how to achieve that in my blog (linked in my bio), and I'd love to hear yours !

17/12/2025

Aren't we all struggling with the winter blues ❄️
A few tips to make your home a bit cosier and warmer !

https://www.ateliervarenne.com/blog/prepare-your-home-for-winter-warmth-comfort-cozy

03/09/2024

Back to work !!

✨ After an exceptionally long summer break, I'm beyond excited to be diving into some fabulous new projects this rentrée ✨

And they're really extra special - a house in the Buttes aux Cailles neighborhood of Paris (only the second actual house I've ever worked on within the city!!), a townhouse in London, a family home in Karachi.. Finishing up are an apartment in the 15eme and another in Boulogne. Exciting times !

Here’s a sneak peek of an office interior I recently completed – creating an elegant yet comfortable space where ideas can thrive.

19/03/2024

Not one but TWO of my projects featured in this lovely article about designing in Paris in

Alongside some superstars of the Paris interior design scene like and I talk about not letting compact living cramp your style. Smart design, optimizing space and furniture layouts, as well as using materials, colours and let's not forget a bit of design magic to your advantage ✨ means that even in Europe's densest city we can live with comfort & elegance in deeply personal spaces.

Check out the article in bio and tell me what you think !

26/12/2023

As the year nears it's end, it's that time for reflection over the last months & looking ahead and setting goals for the next. My list for 2024 is already long but one of my big goals is to have more gratitude.

As you may know, I'm an interior architect & designer in Paris. For many people, Paris is the dream. For me, it wasn't.

I had studied here decades ago as a young architecture student, but I had never fallen for its charms. Life happened, and it's been our home now for nearly eight years!

Because the first years of our life here were so challenging I never fully appreciated what the city has given me. I'm Pakistani, and pre-Paris, Id lived in and loved various countries as I built my life as an international creative, meeting my husband along the way and eventually moving first to his hometown in the south of France & then to Paris.

But I have SO MUCH to be thankful for. Here, we have continued to build our family & our lives. We've co-created an absolutely incredible human. I have found wonderful friendships & continue to work hard creating communities to bring like-minded people together. And I have poured my heart & soul into my design mission : creating homes in Paris that make my clients - many of them foreigners, expats & immigrants like myself - feel completely & truly at home.

22/10/2023

My son is prone to huge frustration when he isn't able to get something PERFECT - when he makes a "wrong" line in a drawing, or mixes up his Bs and Ps... We've been having this talk about how mistakes are fine - even great - and perfection isn't that important but being honest, he's just going after his mom 🤷🏽‍♀️

So architecture obviously requires a fair amount of precision & accuracy in drawings (and I have an unhealthy obsession with symmetry and clean lines), but my favorite phase of a project is still the doodle phase. Where I'm not being inhibited by this aim for perfection.

I'm at the very very beginning of a new project, a full renovation of a 4 bedroom apartment. I've just started drawing out the plan, scribbling on trace to reconfigure the spaces to align better with my client's needs. How can I make that bathroom bigger ? Those bedroom layouts less awkward ? More counter space in the kitchen ? An entrance that's more inviting ? I've gone over my lines, I've erased countless times, and I've worked through quite a few sheets of trace already. The scribbles & doodles bring ideas with each line, and even erased or drawn over lines - mistakes - are such a huge part of the process.

11/10/2023

The afternoon sunlight filtering into the dining room hints at a slew of possibilities.

Here in my project Voyage, moods change with the time of day, with the seasons, adapting to different occasions.

If you're struggling with lighting in a room or adapting your interior for the changing season, our new 2-hour consultation service is what you've been waiting for. DM me for info !

See the full project on our website
www.ateliervarenne.com

25/08/2023

Another summer and another chapter in my love affair with Arles 🌞 This city undergoes a stunning metamorphosis as the annual photo festival takes over, turning each nook into a canvas of visual storytelling.

Its a masterpiece of curation, a celebration of photography's ability to capture an essence of time and place, and a celebration of architecture & design dating back to the romans but very much steeped in the present (specially when you're staying at the gorgeous )

Each exhibition finds us immersed in the history of Arles while the images simultaneously transport us far & wide. As Arles casts its spell, I'm once again enchanted by its spaces, its stories, and its spirit.

18/07/2023

Loving my work doesn't stop me from loving the holidays 🌞 Summer is the perfect time, and so much happens that it feels like it lasts forever : busier than ever with projects that need to be ready for the rentrée (spoiler alert 😉) but also travel, gatherings with family and friends, losing ourselves in new places and rediscovering old ones, and reconnecting with life outside the city.

We are extremely lucky to spend huge chunks of the summer every year in the South of France - it even comes with free catering and childcare (thank you grandparents!) Going back and forth from Paris to the south let's me keep on top of work but also spend time with my husband and son - I don't for a moment miss being stuck in an office and sweaty summer commutes!

The blueness of the sky never ceases to amaze me, the sound of the cigale, the silver olive trees, the fields of lavender and sunflowers, the smells and tastes of summer that give me that much needed rest, reset, and inspiration for the coming months 🥰

Adresse

Paris

Téléphone

+33782228552

Site Web

https://www.ateliervarenne.com/

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