Home tour | Scandinavian minimalism meets Belle Époque elegance in France

Today we’re heading to the leafy avenues of Le Vésinet, just outside Paris, for a look inside a beautiful home that blends Scandinavian minimalism with elegant French style.

Owned by MEIO Interiors founder Sara Mengesha, who spent many years in Dubai and London before relocating to France with her husband David and their two children, it occupies a graceful Belle Époque residence that was built in 1870 and extended several times over the decades. Drawing on her Swedish roots, Sara was keen to put her own pared-back, functional spin on the house while honouring its heritage. Throughout, the original plaster cornicing, ornate wall panelling, parquet flooring and curvaceous wrought-iron detailing were retained and restored, setting the scene for a series of airy yet inviting spaces where period architecture and contemporary design coexist effortlessly.

Nowhere is this sensitive, respectful approach more evident than in the kitchen, which is located in one of the newer sections and felt disconnected from the other spaces. “It’s visible from the main entrance and throughout the ground floor, so it was essential that it blended seamlessly with the rest of the house,” explains Sara. “The old kitchen seemed more like an add-on than a continuation, so the vision was to create an open space that feels more integrated, both in character and materiality.”

To do this, Sara turned to Swedish company Nordiska Kök to create a fully customised kitchen that balances softness and structure, with much of the inspiration for the design coming from the house’s Neoclassical and Art Deco fireplaces. Its focal point is a sweeping arched niche, which neatly encompasses a display shelf, an extractor fan and hidden storage nooks at either end. This is offset by clean-lined Shaker-style cabinets in pale beige, with worktops and splashbacks in timeless ‘Dover White Namibia’ marble. The sides of the island unit, meanwhile, have rounded grooves that again reference the carved stone fire surrounds.

Another standout feature is a run of tall cabinets in a contrasting dark oak, which add depth and warmth to the neutral, light-filled scheme. Within this is a coffee- and tea-making station hidden behind pocket doors, providing practical storage and preparation space that can be closed away whenever needed.

The tones of the dark oak are echoed in the Audo Copenhagen table and DETJER chairs of the dining area at the other end of the kitchen. A second arched shelving niche provides another note of continuity, with floor-to-ceiling French doors linking the interior to the garden outside.

Steps lead from the kitchen to the house’s main sitting area, where an understated beige sofa, a gleaming walnut sideboard, a rattan cabinet, a deep-pile rug and a mid-century modern armchair dressed in a snuggly sheepskin add layers of appealing texture. Another living space lies beyond, through a bespoke wrought-iron frame that provides a sense of separation without disrupting the flow of the house.

The hallway, meanwhile, is another clever play on contrast, with beige walls framing dark charcoal-grey cupboards. It’s a stunning pairing that’s picked up in the checkerboard marble floor tiles that, although newly laid, look as if they have always belonged to the house.

“For me, the challenge of interior design lies in finding that delicate balance – preserving the spirit of a place while gently weaving in contemporary warmth and character,” says Sarah. In her home, she’s certainly done just that.

Photography by Andrea Papini, courtesy of Nordiska Kök

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