Virginie helps owners develop their small and medium-sized properties for rental.
Her strengths are renovating, decorating and redesigning interiors specifically for furnished rental.
We take a look at a small, Scandinavian-style one-bed apartment in the Montorgueil neighbourhood.
What made you want to become an interior designer? Where can we see your work?
Decorating has always been a passion for me; when I lived in London we moved a lot and that meant I regularly changed environments.
Since I came back to Paris, my husband and I have invested in several furnished apartments for rent, which I completely renovated. That’s the story behind MyHomePlanner. You can see my work on www.myhomeplanner.fr
What aspects of your job do you like the most?
I like everything about my job: discovering new places, drawing up layout plans, choosing colours and materials…but the best part is when it all comes together.
The satisfaction of seeing the apartment completely finished and setting up the rooms for the photoshoot for Book-A-Flat are particularly exciting.
What are your favourite rooms to decorate and why?
The living area is the place where comfort and art-de-vivre intertwine. I’m constantly looking for harmony between colours, materials, fabrics and objects.
To get the most from this central place in the apartment, layout is key in terms to how the furniture is arranged and how the space is organised.
What inspired you most when decorating this apartment?
I started out by choosing blue and grey cement tiles for the midway panel and an oak worktop. Then I kept to the tones that matched the Scandinavian furniture I had found. The Scandinavian spirit suited the style of the building in this “bobo-chic” neighbourhood in Paris’ 2nd arrondissement.
What advice would you give to our readers who are refurbishing an apartment for furnished rental?
To attract more tenants, the apartment needs to be quite bright.
Refined interior design is essential so potential tenants can imagine living there, so you need to avoid too many bold colours.
It is best to add touches of colour in the accessories, so you can easily change them after a few years.
What are today’s decorating trends?
The Scandinavian style is very in at the moment, that was what inspired me for the design of this apartment.
Soft colours, wood and geometric shapes are the major features in Scandinavian design. This creates lots of warmth in an interior.
What is your favourite thing about this neighbourhood? Can you recommend a few places?
I love strolling along the Rue Montorgueil with its grocer stalls and restaurant terraces. If you keep going until Rue Etienne Marcel there are some great shops; then stop for lunch at Café Etienne Marcel (Costes group, 64 rue Tiquetonne)