74 AUTUMN 2026 ASPIREDESIGNANDHOME.COM 75 And why should Dewavrin restrain himself, after all, when he mixes eras and styles with such incontestable aplomb? There is his beloved Italian midcentury furniture (he enthuses about a Gio Ponti desk that he refurbished, calling it his “heartthrob,” which he pairs with a midcentury American lamp and his own Grand Voltaire chair accessorized with a Gucci cushion). There are ceramics of every variety, from a green Sicilian vase to a reptilian plate by Belgian artist Caroline Pholien (“I love snakes,” he concedes). A sofa is anchored by a William Morris pillow fabric under a massive late-1960s or early-70s wall light from a hotel. Two Fornasetti-style chairs sit before an elaborate black-and-pink- marble fireplace that features a taxidermy raven. Even his fabric mix feels ebulliently variegated. Exhibit A? His bedroom, which throws into the creative blender Rubelli couture curtains with a Gucci throw and midcentury art by Charles de Wardenier (known, in his day, as WAD). Dewavrin began making his own furniture, which was influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement — neo-Gothic trefoil decorations, strap arms, etc. — because “I needed something to do in the country,” where he has another home and several dogs. Proportionally, however, his chairs and desks tend toward the extra-large. “I like big, oversize things in a small house,” he admits. “It feels grander.” Providentially, the early 20th-century building where his two-bedroom duplex garden apartment is located (“Very French, like a hôtel particulier,” he describes) had high ceilings, which gave his furniture and eclectic collections room to breathe. Despite his penchant for maximalism, however, Dewavrin values a judicious approach to design. “If you pile things on, there has to be a kind of equilibre [balance],” he explains. “It can’t be messy. If you overdo it, it can be a bit chichi.” This is one reason he incorporates his own furniture. “These bring back a masculine character,” he believes. To quote the avant-garde artist Jean Cocteau, “Tact in audacity is knowing how far you can go without going too far.” This is an art Dewavrin has perfected; it is familiar territory for him. FAR LEFT: Edgard, Dewavrin’s beloved stuffed raven, oversees two Fornasetti-style chairs from its perch on the mantel next to a gold Murano vase from 1stDibs. Dewavrin’s love of snakes is apparent in his serpent-themed porcelain plate, which he pairs with colorful Murano glassware. LEFT: Dewavrin walks under paintings by WAD. Nearby is a Roger Feraud coat stand and a Gio Ponti chair. In a corner by the fireplace is a c. 1970s Italian table with another of Dewavrin’s Grand Voltaire chairs. The midcentury wall sculpture is also a wall lamp.