Besson lives in a bunker, about the locationwhich only those closest to it know. The identical red-brick Victorian houses and thickets of dense greenery reliably hide it from the world. But ELLE DECOR managed not only to penetrate the territory of the secret facility, but also to give the owner a "hard interrogation". The transcript of the interrogation and the dossier on the owner are in front of you. About Ariane Besson
Houses made of concrete, Jet black hair, brightred lips… — the owner fits perfectly into her interior! However, it is almost impossible to find her at home. Producer Ariana Besson spends half of her time traveling the world, promoting fashion brands in the world's leading markets. In her free time, she retires to the studio, where she creates items for the Undercover home textile collection from a mountain of expensive fabrics and velvet ribbons brought from Buenos Aires, Portugal, Paris and Milan. Ariana spends only rare days at home. «Tomorrow I'm hitting the road again, this time to Shanghai», she complains. From the outside, Ariana looks like a big beautiful bird. Watching her is a great pleasure. The graceful native of Mauritius wanders around the house, chirping on her cell phone in French. From time to time, she shrugs her shoulders emotionally and gently raises her elbows, as if spreading her wings before taking flight. Ariana's friends say that she can fly. After a couple of minutes of meeting, it's easy to believe it. It seems that in another moment — she will flutter out of the house, but before that she will have time to add a couple of new touches to her interior and drink another bottle of champagne with her friends. "My house is constantly changing," Besson says, heading to the kitchen for a clean glass. "You can't imagine how many fun holidays he has seen! This is a wonderful place for big parties, perhaps due to the unusual setting, or perhaps it's all about the champagne that usually flows like a river." About the houseI am used to making quick decisions, perhaps because I trust intuition more than logic. That was the case with this house. It reminded me of the set for Enki Bilal's film "Bunker Palace Hotel", and I was inspired to recreate the atmosphere of a futuristic bunker that reigns in the film. I demolished all the partitions, leaving only the massive load-bearing walls, removed the country-style terracotta tiles from the floor, revealing the rough gray screed, and replaced the regular plumbing with rectangular containers cast from concrete.
- Photo 1. An entire wall in Ariana's boudoir is covered in red-painted glass. The concrete bathtub is lined with red mosaics on the inside. The chandelier was bought in Beirut.
- Photo 2. A rough concrete washbasin emphasizes the atmosphere of the bunker and brings back childhood memories. Such sinks have traditionally been used in South Africa for washing laundry outside. Vintage footrest Besson bought in one of the travels.
- Photo 3. The bathroom wall is decorated with a collage of mirrors found at flea markets.
- Photo 4. Ariana can admire the beauty of concrete from both the inside and outside of the house.
About masculine and feminine Concrete represents masculinebeginning. It is solid and cool. There is something pristine about it. It is plain at first glance, but in reality it combines many colors and shades. But concrete walls absorb light, which is why there are so many mirrors in my house. They let in and reflect light, filling the space with lightness and bringing in feminine features. But what is even more important - they create illusions. On the source of inspiration I look for it in travel. I love old cities (like Beirut). They excite the imagination... I have a whole archive of visual information stored in my head. You never know what and when will suddenly surface. Once in Mexico, I saw a lot of old fans hanging from the ceiling. It was very beautiful. And I decided to use this technique in my new house, though replacing the fans with vintage lampshades. But as my house evolved, a simpler and more modern solution was born. Now the hallway is decorated with large satin lampshades made of bright silk.
- Photo 1. Living room.The 80s mirror bar was bought at auction. It has Capodimonte lamps and a Murano glass vase. The decadent bar stools are covered in white ostrich leather. The table with a mirrored top is custom-made, surrounded by 60s armchairs. The owner's pride and joy is the 80s Bang & Olufsen music system.
- Photo 2.The foyer, with its bright lampshades and massive concrete staircase, is perhaps the most spectacular place in the house. The walls are coated with a special primer to create a glossy surface. The cabinets for storing papers are painted to match the lampshades. On the chrome nightstand is a silver sculpture by local artist Eileen Lipkin.
- Photo 3.Ariana made a striking pendant light with black perspex (acrylic glass) discs to match the chic 1960s Quattro Cento chandelier that adorns the guest lavatory. The Smeg cooktop is reflected in the glossy flooring and mirrored kitchen cabinetry.
- Photo 4.Ariana spray-painted the shop windows black. They are filled to the brim with glasses and beautiful colored china bought at flea markets. Besson bought a rough wooden chopping block from a specialty store. It turned out to be the perfect stand for flowers and figurines.
About style Every interior I create —this is a reflection of a certain period of my life, so they are all decorated completely differently. Moreover, I try to make each subsequent house different from the previous one. For example, my last refuge was very feminine and romantic. About collections I do not get too attached to things, unless, of course, they are gifts. For example, when I moved to the bunker, I left all the furniture from the previous house to my friend. In general, I love to give away and throw away old things, this is the only way to justify buying new ones. But this does not mean that I am obsessed with collecting. I get tired of it pretty quickly. Although, who knows, maybe my next house will look like a dusty junk shop littered with all sorts of junk! I strive for simplicity and lightness in everything. An interior decorated in all seriousness, as well as a person dressed in all seriousness, seems boring and dull to me. Basically, I just buy everything I like, which is mostly silly and ridiculous stuff. For example, the adorable, naive Madonna statues – my Catholic upbringing probably has an effect. Or hundreds of glasses of the most unimaginable shapes and sizes (though they tend to break at parties, and often I can’t find a single one). Although no, I do have a serious collection – these are plates by the South African artist Hilton Nel. I’ve been collecting his work for ten years now. On shopping As strange as it may sound, I’m not a great shopper. I simply don’t have time for it. I only go shopping when I travel or on weekends when I drive around South Africa. I love flea markets and I love it when the stores I shop at regularly let me know about things they think I might like.
- Photo 1. The bed in the guest bedroom is covered with a bedspread from the new Undercover home textile collection, designed by Ariana Besson.
- Photo 2.The master bedroom is combined with the bathroom. The bed is made up of two. Its headboard is upholstered in grey satin. The cylindrical chromed steel nightstands from Benedict Design serve as bedside tables.
About color Before I became an advertising producerprojects, I worked as a production designer, so I have always been interested in color. I believe that color sets the mood and tone of a film or a house. I don’t understand how you can exist in an undefined color scheme - I like to create contrasts. The choice of color always depends on what I am currently interested in, so it is constantly changing. I like yellow the least, but recently I noticed with surprise that I am gradually starting to include it in my projects. By the way, when my mother came to this bunker for the first time, looking at the gray concrete walls, she asked: “So what color are you going to paint them?” I replied that I would leave everything as is. Mom almost fainted. I even decided not to decorate the walls with paintings: one large Mark Rothko* would look magnificent, but I preferred the pristine beauty of concrete. Despite its abundance, there is no shortage of color in the house. The dark walls and black floor are contrasted by bright furniture. In the kitchen, I used black glass, which, like a negative, allows other colors to penetrate through it and almost dissolve in the space. About the futureWhat I like most about this house is that it is constantly changing. My next step will be to arrange the bedroom upstairs. It will take up the entire floor. But who knows what I will be passionate about when the house is finished. I may have to move again! Text: Kurt G. Stapelfeldt. Photos: Denise Bonenti (Denise Bonenti/Vega MG)
