HYLAND
There is a recurring proclivity among designers to pursue
the aesthetic of heaven on earth, a rareļ¬ed and small group
to be sure. Their numbers are found among great landscape
architects, architects and
interior designers and
decorators. Few have
achieved this niveau,
especially in small spaces,
let alone referring equally to
the worlds of architecture,
landscape and interior
design simultaneously in
one space. Such is the case
in Juan-Pablo Molyneux's
blue and white tile room, a
celestial space evoked by
very earthly materials within
an ancient hotel particulier
in the Marais.
Fittingly, the tile room is just
off the library Juan-Pablo
shares with his wife Pilar,
itself a veritable cabinet
of wonders. The tile room
also has access through
double doors to the large
courtyard of the 17
th
century house. It is an internal folly, a
plastic impression between the world, however constructed,
of plein air, and the world of books, of the mind, a remarkable
hermitage, if enjoyed only for brief visits or in passing.