Emanuel Ungaro’s Paris Apartment Preserves Designer’s Legacy

Emanuel Ungaro’s Paris flat, once a modest pied‑à‑terre, now stands as a family‑centered tribute to the late couturier’s love of architecture and design.

From a Search for a Home to a Family Compound

In 2008, Ungaro bought a ground‑floor apartment in a 1910 building at the end of a gated cobblestone lane near the Luxembourg Gardens. The space was too small for him and his wife, Laura, who then lived in a larger hôtel particulier in the seventh arrondissement, but it suited their daughter Cosima, then a political‑science student at King’s College, London.

When Cosima’s upstairs neighbour announced a move in 2019, she called her father. Ungaro agreed the larger unit would accommodate both him and Laura, and he envisioned turning the building into a family compound. He acquired the adjoining triplex and began planning a redesign.

Ungaro, who rose from a tailoring family that fled fascist Italy, built a reputation for fluid, sensual couture after assisting Balenciaga and Courrèges. His passion for fabric extended beyond clothing; he also cherished architecture, interiors and the tactile qualities of materials.

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Renovation with a Personal Touch

Cosima and her husband Austin Feilders, who run a creative consultancy called Concept, took charge of the renovation after Ungaro’s death in December 2019. Working with architects Alessandro Scotto and Yann Le Coadic, they re‑imagined the layout to reflect the family’s needs and Ungaro’s aesthetic.

The ground floor now welcomes guests with a kitchen positioned beside the entrance—a nod to Austin’s belief that “food is the centre of everything” in the Ungaro home. Shelves hold cookbooks, Sicilian pottery and Venetian glassware, illuminated by subtle LED lighting.

A pantry, stocked like an Italian bottega, includes a meat slicer for smoked hams and sausages, creating a space where “you can come and have a glass of wine and feel comfortable,” Cosima says.

While the family’s intention is to honor Ungaro’s legacy, the renovation also raises practical concerns about maintaining such a specialized interior over time. The integration of extensive custom furnishings and artisanal details could pose challenges for future caretakers who lack the original vision or resources.

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Emotional Reveal and Future Projects

When the renovation finished in autumn 2021, Laura visited the flat for the first time. She reportedly burst into tears upon seeing the space, a reaction that Cosima described as confirmation that the family had fulfilled their mandate.

The space feels alive.

“Emanuel transmitted this way of life – a passion for food and storytelling,” Austin says. “We are simply enriching it with our point of view.”