Overlooking the Luxembourg Gardens, Apartment XVIII is located in an old 18th century mansion that was largely renovated in the years after the French Revolution. With very little of the original character left and significant structural reinforcement required, Studio Razavi chose to completely demolish the existing building and create everything inspired by the site.

In one of the oldest districts of Paris (the streets are recorded as Roman Roads), surrounded by a wondrous landscape of private buildings, churches, monasteries and squares, the studio's inspiration drove them to imagine a monastery space. Natural light is the studio's material of choice (it comes from 3 different directions), and the quality of the building can be expressed internally through a large number of load-bearing walls and columns, which are coated with layers of plaster ash to further emphasize their materiality.

Studio Razavi uses restrained finishes and extensive use of curvilinear shapes to create a serene space. Here, sound, light and vision all become a coherent whole. Their design of the furniture and careful selection of all the art in the apartment became part of their experience of participating in the space.