At Home with Magali Gnocchi, Head of French PR at Sisley Paris

I think I first met Magali at an event last year hosted by Sisley, the Parisian beauty brand where she's been heading up the PR for France for the past 6 years. I believe we bonded over my faux fur cream coat I was wearing that she eyed up as I walked in the door. A PR pro on all accounts - brilliant at her job and so genuinely lovely that I wanted to be friends - she holds a degree in communication and journalism from Science Po, Celsa, Institut Français de Presse in Paris and worked as a free-lance fashion editor for French magazines, before moving into beauty PR. In the past she worked with renowned brands such as Laura Mercier, Nars, Aveda, Chloe parfums, Valentino and Prada, before securing her covetable position at Sisley.

After spotting a photo she snapped at her apartment, I had an inkling that her home might just reflect her own personal style, which is elegant, with a bohemian twist. I wasn't disappointed. Her two bed apartment close to Gare de L'Est in the 10ème that she shares with her husband Thomas, is the perfect mix of chic Parisian style, mixed with vintage and pops of colour. They bought it in 2012 and have spent the past four years filling it with trinkets found on their travels and vintage furniture sourced from brocantes in and around Paris. As with all Hausmannian apartments (the classic Parisian architectural design), it has all the traditional details that this style offers, such as a marble fire place and parquet wooden flooring, but they've created a home that truly reflects their personalities. I particularly love the white cupboards where a menagerie of knick knacks, art, ceramics and cacti plants are displayed that reads like a book of their life and travels together.

What were your biggest decorating challenges?

1/ We had to repaint everything: the entrance / WC exterior was bright purple (now white), the kitchen was dark red (now pale pink), our bedroom was dirty white (it's now peacock blue), the second bedroom had grey and white tiles on the floor and all the walls were grey, and the bathroom was hideous : turquoise tiles on the walls, with dark wooden floors. We replaced the turquoise tiles by white metro tiles, and the wooden floor by authentic cement tiles (carreaux de ciment) from Portugal.

2/ We bought all the furniture as nothing fit from our former apartment. We kept only the bed and the coffee table. I sold everything on Le Bon Coin, and it took quite a long time to buy everything because I hunted them down from vintage shops, Ebay, or antique fairs. For the white library / cupboard in the living room we had it made to measure and I painted it myself in white.

How would you describe your interior style?

I would say it’s a classic Parisian apartment with a 'gypset' decorative style made from bargain-hunting and travels treasures.

Favourite piece(s) of furniture/treasures?

Without doubt it's the macrame masterpiece hanging above our bed, which was a gift from my husband Thomas for our 10 year anniversary. It was made by this very gifted girl called Julie that I spotted on Instagram.

I'm also very fond and proud of a few things (we didn't have any budget so everything is quite cheap): the vintage golden leaves lamp (bought in la foire de Chatou), the dining-room chairs - we bought them in pairs on eBay and le Bon Coin - the two Danish 1950-60’s nightstands and hanging lamps in our bedroom, the mirror in our bathroom (it took me ages to find it, but I found it online from a girl who was living 2 blocks away), and our two rugs: one is a colourful kilim from Turkey (I bought it on eBay) and one is a Beni Ouairin from our latest trip to Marrakesh.

Favourite places/shops to buy for your home?

Flea markets (my favourites are the one in Brooklyn, la Foire de Chatou in west of Paris, and the brocante rue de Bretagne), Ebay and le Bon Coin, Natura Casa - a shop in Barcelone that I love and Tokyo Design for the plates and bowls. I'm also a big fan of House Doctor, HK Living and Broste Copenhagen

Interiors/style that have inspired you?

Boutique hotels all around the world that we've been to, but also Instagram and Pinterest are my major sources of Inspiration. I also have two books that I love and these have inspired my decoration choices: the Selby is in your place, and The New Bohemians.

What do you like most about the area you live in, in Paris?

The number of cool coffeeshops and restaurants, and the proximity to Canal St Martin which is one of my favorite places in Paris. I also love the fact that it is so central - we can go anywhere by foot or by public transports and we use Autolib cars when it's not direct.

Favourite three social media mavens?

Leandra Medine from the Man Repeller, Emily Weiss from Into the Gloss and Casey Neistat for his youtube videos.

Favourite three lifestyle blogs?

Ma Recreation by my friend Lili Barbery-Coulon, Hebdomania by Thibault Charpentier, Re-voir Paris by Marie-Anne Bruschi and I also like Dee Dee Paris by Delphine Desneige

Last good book you read?

I loved Moment d’Un Couple by Nelly Alard and Rien ne s’oppose à la Nuit by Delphine de Vigan

What’s in your magazine pile?

Well I am a PR so I read all the women's and news magazines, but my favorites are Elle, Grazia, l’Express Styles, and Glamour.

What’s on your nightstand?

Hand creams (Aesop and Nivea), a ceramic rings display shaped as a hand, my kindle (although let’s be honest I am a holiday reader) and of course my iPhone (on plane mode at night.

How has working for Sisley changed the way/ or influenced the way you look after your skin/ apply make-up?

It didn't really change my habits or routine, as I was already working in the beauty industry before Sisley, but I do use more Sisley products than any other brands now. Not because I get them from work, but because they are really good products, and also my husband loves the Sisley smells (he has very good taste!).

What’s your morning routine?

First I shower, put my clothes on (obvs), then breakfast (I grind some coffee beans and use a French press coffee maker, then mix the coffee with oat milk and sweet-and low), skincare - from Sisley of course (Emulsion Matifiante aux Resines Tropicales or Sisleyouth in the morning, Sisleÿa l’Intégral and Supremÿa Yeux at night), make-up, all from Sisley too: can’t live without Sisleÿa foundation #3B Almond (I even wear it on week-ends and holidays!), So Curl black Mascara, Phyto-Sourcils Perfect Cappuccino to fill my eyebrows, Illusion d’été bronzing powder all over for that natural-fake tan/glow, and creamy blush stick Phyto-Blush Twist Papaya, to give me that healthy-I-just-got-back-from-a-walk touch) hair: since I had my hair cut to a bob, I curl them with my GHD wand curler (love this tool so much), two sprays of Helmut Lang Eau de Toilette (it’s my favorite of all time, although I used to wear Jour de Fête from l’Artisan Parfumeur for quite a long time, and Infusion d’Iris Eau de Toilette from Prada), then off to work!

Go-to alcoholic beverage?

Wine! Also a big fan of SASSY ciders, and if I’m going out, a rosemary or basil gin & tonic, or a Spritz in the summer time.

Tea or coffee?

Tea! I used to be the PR for Kusmi Tea and am still a huge drinker of their Detox and Be Cool. But for the past 2 years, I've developed a real passion for lattes, cappuccinos and flat whites. I'm also a big fan of matcha latte (with almond milk if possible) - Season makes a good one.

Handbag essentials?

Credit cards (3), transports cards (metro and autolib), iphones (2), lipstick (I mainly wear matte red lipstick: Phyto-Lip Twist #18 Tango but I also love Bourjois Red Velvet edition and Mac Red A95 Satin lipstick), hand sanitizer, mini hand cream (Neutrogena or Nivea Smooth Nourishing, I buy the travel size from Boots in London), Chanel anti-shine paper sheets, and sweet-and-low for outside cappuccinos.

What do you do to relax?

I love to brunch, watch movies and practise yoga, go on a weekend away with friends and a Chinese massage at Lanqi Spa avenue de Saxe when I am really stressed.

Paris favourites:

Driving autolib on empty river banks (parisian fantasy now), buy my fruits and veggies at Marché d’Aligre (every two WE)

Shopping in le Haut Marais or St Germain des Près, Playing honeymooner tourists in Montmartre. Drink on a terrasse with some friends (coffee in the day time, glass of wine at night). Brunch at Cafe Oberkampf, Fragments or Holybelly.

Favourite Cafés:

In Paris: Cafe Oberkampf, Fragments, Dersou, Season, Boot Cafe, Passager Cafe / In Sydney: Porch and Parlour / In Barcelona: Satan’s Coffee Corner / In Chicago: Sawada and 3 Greens Market / In LA: Gratitude (Venice) / In Amsterdam: Bocca and Toki

Favourite restaurants:

In Paris: Nanashi rue Paradis, Ginger rue de la Trémoille, Kunitoraya rue Villedo, Monsieur Bleu (Palais de Tokyo) / In Marrakesh: Nomad / In Barcelona: El Xampanyet / In London: Busaba Eathai

Favourite shops

Isabel Marant, Merci boulevard Beaumarchais, World Family in Ibiza, Natura Casa (for decoration and clothes, in Barcelona), Kiliwatch, l’Appartement Sezane, Green Factory rue Lucien Sampaix in Paris, and Les Succulents Cactus (cactus are one my passions, and I love the owner lady!) and the Conran Shop

Scroll down to shop Magali's Sisley favourites and her interior style!

Magali's Sisley Favourites:

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