Elliott Barnes
Elliott Barnes is an American architect and designer based in Paris whose practice spans interior architecture, hospitality, residential, retail, and institutional design. A graduate of Cornell University with a Master’s degree in Architecture and Urban Planning, Barnes began his career in Los Angeles with Arthur Erickson Architects before pursuing parallel work in academia, teaching at leading institutions in the United States and at ENSAD.
In 1987, Barnes joined the studio of renowned French designer Andrée Putman, later taking over the management of the firm from 1997 to 2003. He founded his own Paris-based practice in 2004, quickly establishing a reputation for refined and sophisticated interiors distinguished by their subtle treatment of light, materiality, and spatial atmosphere.
Working across projects in France and internationally, Barnes develops spaces that combine elegance, restraint, and an innovative vision of contemporary luxury. In 2023, he was awarded the Talent of Elegance prize by the Centre du Luxe et de la Création.
“The client sets the tone of a project and really gives it rhythm.”
INTERVIEW
© Elodie Dupuis
I usually start by searching for the invisible or small details or qualities that make something what it is. I also attach a tremendous amount of importance to how something works. I always imagine how I might move through the space, and how I may bring a different “regard” to something.
I started in architecture. When I moved to Paris to work with Andrée Putman, I began my interior design career.
The defining moment in my life was the move to France. That set the stage for my years working next to Andrée Putman. In terms of my artisanal approach to materials, my work for Ruinart, designing the reception areas in their original headquarters and site, which dates back to 1729, has had a tremendous influence on the direction of my work.
I don’t really have a favorite type of client or project. I have never done a retail project, really, so that would be interesting to explore.
For me, the deciding factor is the client. The client sets the tone of a project and really gives it rhythm.
I think the most challenging aspect is the lighting. It is such a critical moment in a project, and it must be thought of correctly from the start and handled carefully until the final fit-out.
Get off the computer and the devices and draw my hand. Go out and see nicely built works from all periods and learn to trust your eyes.
I would love to design a living center which would house a library, a gallery, my office, and my living space.
The typical day starts at 8:30. Each day is totally different. I am very happy about that.
The project defines the materials. The project asks me questions.
The list is long and varied. It includes Michelangelo, Miles Davis, Le Corbusier, Mies Van der Rohe, David Hammons, James Turrell, Martin Margiela, Virgil Abloh, Ron Carter, The Cubists, and Basquiat.
Bruno Moinard, Raphael Cardenas, Vincenzo Decotis, Vincent Van Duysen, David Adjaye.
Read IN PRAISE OF SHADOWS by Junichiro Tanizaki.
Crafting textured minimalist forms and surfaces that allow me to design the absence of presence.
© Steven Paneccasio
Thank you so much Elliott, for this lovely interview!
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