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"&amp;quot;I viewed the main core of this apartment like a Rubik&amp;#039;s Cube,&amp;quot; Olivier Gagn\u00E8re says. &amp;quot;I kept turning it around in my head.&amp;quot; Dressed in a navy-and-white-stripe shirt and jeans, the product/interior designer is standing in the archway between the two salons of his Parisian bachelor pad in a late-18th-century building. He is surrounded by exquisite ornaments that cover most surfaces, sofas draped in exotic textiles, a mismatched array of tables, chairs, and stools, and an abundance of artworks on the walls. &amp;quot;For a long time, I refused to do anything,&amp;quot; he admits. &amp;quot;I was determined to find the right way to keep it eclectic and make it feel a little collage-like by having tiny discoveries in each corner.&amp;quot;   Both rooms are high ceilinged, flooded with sunlight, and, despite looking out onto the busy Rue de l&amp;#039;Universit\u00E9, seem to define calm. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s peaceful here, even when people honk their car horns,&amp;quot; says \u00ADGagn\u00AD\u00E8re, who has designed porcelain for Bernardaud and crystal for Saint-Louis, and has crafted glass vessels on the island of Murano and ceramics in Vallauris.   Though he&amp;#039;s internationally known, Gagn\u00E8re is largely self-taught. True, his father was an antiques dealer who specialized in the 18th century, particularly bronze pieces. &amp;quot;My childhood gave me a culture and curiosity about furniture and objets d&amp;#039;art,&amp;quot; he says. Nevertheless, training at the \u00C9cole des Beaux-Arts was never an option; Gagn\u00E8re&amp;#039;s parents insisted he study economics and mathematics\u2014&amp;quot;subjects that really help me now,&amp;quot; he says with a wry laugh.   At 28, he finally rebelled and began to create metal objects and scenery for movies. The former caught the attention of Ettore Sottsass, the renowned Italian designer and a founder of the Memphis movement, whom he now describes as a mentor. &amp;quot;Ettore could be cruel,&amp;quot; Gagn\u00E8re says. &amp;quot;But he pushed me to go to Murano and introduced me to their glassmaking techniques.&amp;quot;   Glass remains one of Gagn\u00E8re&amp;#039;s favorite materials\u2014&amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s both line and color, and after 600 degrees Celsius, it becomes something&amp;quot;\u2014yet his best-known creation is most likely a pistachio-and-white-stripe porcelain cup and saucer for Bernardaud. At first, the set was considered &amp;quot;too big for coffee and too small for tea,&amp;quot; he recalls, but thanks to the American market, it was a hit and has been in production since 1992. Two years later, Gagn\u00E8re&amp;#039;s reputation was cemented with the opening of Caf\u00E9 Marly, which he designed, at the Louvre. &amp;quot;The difficulty of a place like that is that it needs to last,&amp;quot; he says, and, despite its eye-opening drama, it has.   Although his apartment is in the heart of the 7th arrondissement, one of the Left Bank&amp;#039;s more sought-after areas, Gagn\u00E8re was wary when he first contemplated moving there from the \u00CEle St.-Louis five years ago. &amp;quot;This neighborhood was where I spent my childhood, and I was keen to avoid it,&amp;quot; he admits. &amp;quot;My father was an antiquaire on the Rue de Beaune when there was no one else.&amp;quot; It was quite different then, and Gagn\u00E8re vividly remembers the caf\u00E9 charbon where people went to buy coal. &amp;quot;God, the dust of the coal,&amp;quot; he says. &amp;quot;Who would have guessed then that all these antiques shops would be here now?&amp;quot; There are other attractions, as well. &amp;quot;I can walk everywhere,&amp;quot; he adds. &amp;quot;The Mus\u00E9e d&amp;#039;Orsay is a few minutes away. There are terrific places to eat.&amp;quot;   Gagn\u00E8re seems instinctively to know how to juxtapose quirky and classic materials, brighten a place in an accessible way with vibrant color, and use sunlight to maximum advantage. He was able to exercise all three talents in his apartment\u2014though it took him a while to settle in. &amp;quot;Ten trips to China during that period did not help,&amp;quot; he says. But once he chose the silvery slate tiles for the bathroom (&amp;quot;They create a pretty reflection&amp;quot;), removed most of the doors (&amp;quot;To open up the rooms&amp;quot;), chose a Christian Dior\u2013gray for the walls of the salons (&amp;quot;White would have required sunglasses&amp;quot;), and Farrow &amp;amp;amp; Ball&amp;#039;s Bible Black, a deep indigo, for the entrance room, and hung the numerous pictures and photos, &amp;quot;it started feeling together,&amp;quot; he says.  The twice-married, now single, Gagn\u00E8re likes to entertain and finds cooking &amp;quot;more pleasant&amp;quot; than exercising, but the original kitchen was hardly conducive to spending time there. &amp;quot;It was hideous,&amp;quot; he says. &amp;quot;Imagine wall-to-wall white tiles and cheap-looking cupboards.&amp;quot; Hence his decision to paint the room the same dark color as the entry (&amp;quot;It reminds me of ink&amp;quot;) and to order custom-made cabinetry covered in black crocodile-embossed leather from artisans who often work for Louis Vuitton. &amp;quot;I wanted to do something original that would allow a kitchen to open onto the salon.&amp;quot; He can&amp;#039;t resist drawing attention to the leather-sheathed doors that hide the washing machine and refrigerator. &amp;quot;Look at the finish,&amp;quot; he says, gliding his hand across the surface. &amp;quot;Not a single seam. &amp;quot; For a moment, Gagn\u00E8re seems elsewhere, then he breaks into a smile. &amp;quot;I admire craftsmanship so much.&amp;quot;  Click here to see the gallery for &amp;quot;A Paris Apartment Packed with Color&amp;quot;. 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<http://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/house-interiors/a3991/a-paris-apartment-packed-color-a-63418/>