Family
In Paris, Centred Around a Large Main Room, the Bright Family Apartment and Design Office of Réuni’s Co-founders
At
Adrien Garcia, Alice Bailly, Andrea, 2 years old and Salto
This is where it all happens: in this expansive, light-filled space with large windows that blend kitchen, dining area, office, and lounge. It's here that Adrien Garcia and Alice Bailly live, work, create, play, cook, and entertain. Adrien launched his podcast, TheBoldWay, while Alice established Attablé, a culinary-focused catering service and newsletter. Together, they conceived Réuni, a clothing brand defined by a slow fashion ethos, featuring just a few essential pieces in a steadily evolving permanent collection. With these projects thriving, the couple welcomed two new additions – their baby, Andrea, and a puppy, Salto – necessitating a quick move. Their brief? A spacious, bright living area to accommodate their growing family and fluid lifestyle, where personal and professional lives merge. They found it in this eastern Paris apartment, which we visit on a crisp spring morning. We're greeted with an apricot cake and a candid conversation.
Location
Paris
Author
Elsa Cau
Photos and videos
Jeanne Perrotte, Elsa David
TSF
Alice, Adrien, who are you?
Alice
I'm 26, I'm a mum and an entrepreneur.
Adrien
I shan't say how old I am. I'm a father, a husband and a creative entrepreneur.
TSF
How did Réuni come about?
Alice
We started Réuni in 2019. Adrien and I met as students at the Studio Berçot. Adrien had always wanted to be an entrepreneur. He wanted either to be the artistic director of a major fashion house or have his own brand. And I'd honestly never really thought about that option. We started our careers as designers, me at Céline and Adrien at Balenciaga and then Louis Vuitton. At the same time, we kept thinking about our brand, what it might look like, and what we wanted to do with it. Then Adrien launched his fashion business podcast, Entreprendre dans la Mode (editor's note: now TheBoldWay). He was able to learn from the experiences of his interviewees… Then the question arose: should he renew his fixed-term contract with Balenciaga? He said, "No, I want to start my own business and get on with the podcast". I was still at Céline at the time. I left to join him, and that's how Réuni started. In parallel with our shared experience, some time ago, I launched Attablé, a newsletter dedicated to the world of cooking, from recipes to the art of the table, and I also work as a caterer.
Adrien
What was the basic premise?
Alice
We had thousands of different ideas. But whatever else happened, we've always wanted to work with creative people, craftspeople. We wanted to work with a whole group of people who have very specific skills to create pieces that are truly unique and that are beautiful objects. We love beautiful objects and things that last. I must point out, Adrien simply can't resist asking questions himself.
TSF
I can see his professional instincts kicking in... Adrien, you're supposed to be answering the questions, not asking them! (Laughs)
Adrien
Réuni aimed to make clothes in the time-honoured way, taking the time to develop one product at a time. And, as Alice said, we wanted to rediscover skills that were becoming somewhat lost. For example, our point Milano Cardigan is very expensive to make, and what's more, nobody uses this technique anymore because it's very dense, uses a lot of yarn, and takes a long time to knit. These pieces are too expensive for our times. By regaining lost skills, we're also developing a wardrobe that people want to wear every day. It seems to me that for certain pieces, like cardigans, shirts and jeans, the gamble has paid off. People wear them all the time, at the weekend, at the office…
TSF
Earlier, before our interview, Alice made an interesting point: you have the ambition to make Réuni more than just a fashion brand, and you spoke of a global lifestyle.
Alice
This is because we're more in love with the object as such than just clothing. That's probably why we both became accessory designers, initially at least. I was into shoes, and Adrien was into handbags. In these pieces, the sculptural dimension is of the essence, and they come close to being objects in their own right.
Adrien
We're redesigning our Réuni label at the moment, and we're looking for a process that no longer exists. We want to recapture that distinctive style by embroidering our label using old machines as they did 50 years ago. It's becoming a bit of an obsession. So, Alice, what would be Réuni's take on a great lifestyle?
TSF
He's stealing my thunder!
Alice
The Réuni man and woman would live with the kitchens of the Musée Camondo (editor's note: in Paris) combined with a Necchi villa (editor's note: Milan) and in Marfa (editor's note: Texas)! A rather honest and sincere place, seemingly rather 'simple' but in reality very carefully crafted.
Adrien
La femme Réuni et l'homme Réuni vivraient ensemble dans un lieu issu d’un mélange entre les cuisines du Musée Camondo (à Paris, ndlr), la Villa Necchi (Milan, ndlr) et Marfa (Texas, ndlr) ! Un endroit brut et sincère, en apparence plutôt « simple », mais en réalité très travaillé.
Alice
We like things that are a little lost in time.
TSF
In practical terms, does this mean that Réuni will be creating objects for the home?
Adrien
Yes, but not just yet, because we still have a lot to say about men's and women's clothing.
Alice
We see Réuni as a project for life, very long term.
Adrien
And we're determined to take our time. In four years, if we've done 15 pieces, that's the limit... We take the time to do things properly and not to rush things, so as not to make any mistakes.
Un air estival avec
le compagnon idéal des plats d'été !
The Réuni man and woman would live with the kitchens of the Musée Camondo combined with a Necchi villa and in Marfa! A rather honest and sincere place, seemingly rather simple but in reality very carefully crafted.
TSF
Adrien, we are well acquainted with your podcast and even share some interviewees, such as J.J Martin, Zoé de Las Cases, and Serge Ruffieux! Your podcast "Entreprendre dans la mode" has become "TheBoldWay." Why this change of identity?
Adrien
It came from a simple observation: I really wanted to open up to the creative industries and to sectors other than fashion. And when your name, Entreprendre Mode, speaks of fashion, it's really confining. There were quite a few people I wanted to interview who were put off by the name. So it was a way of repositioning the podcast, giving it a new look, reworking the artistic side of it and interviewing people I couldn't access with the old format.
TSF
We're here in your home. I notice that there's nothing on the walls...
Adrien
Well, this is our workshop. This is where we work, and where we spend most of our time. So the idea was for it not to be visually cluttered or influenced. In fact, if it was down to me, I'd like to live in a white cube. Putting it simply, I need to have a clear horizon to feel good!
Alice
As for me, I'm a total control freak, so I like things to be very clean and tidy.
TSF
How did you find this place and did you change it very much?
Adrien
Our old apartment was smaller. We'd already launched the brand, and we were living out of boxes and off clothes racks - it was tricky! And we'd just had a baby... and got a dog, Salto. When we decided to leave, it was important to be as close as possible to a park. At one point, we were even thinking of moving to the countryside. But when it came down to it, we're too attached to Paris at the moment. So, a park and a large living room, because we live and work in the same place: that was the brief.
Alice
So that we can do photo shoots, welcome our friends and suppliers, and possibly a few trainees...
Adrien
Yes, so we needed somewhere flexible, spacious and airy. We had help from an apartment hunter, who showed us a dozen or so places. In fact, we didn't fall in love with the place when we first found it.
Alice
That's because, at first glance, the apartment was very much divided up. But when we tapped on all the walls, we realised that nothing was load-bearing. So we decided to knock them all down.
Adrien
Julien Fuentes, who is first and foremost one of our friends, but who happens to be an interior designer, (laughs) worked with us. Even though we had our own ideas in mind, it was good to brainstorm with him. He helped us to create what we needed. He designed the space and reorganised everything. Do you remember, Alice, our brief, and the moodboard we drew up?
Alice
I remember the Donald Judd apartment in New York. But we're not quite there yet! We told Julien we needed a very large living room that would serve both as our office and our dining room. It was also important for me to have a large kitchen.
Adrien
This large table is a focal point for us. We love entertaining, and we love the large work space it gives us. We found it by searching on the internet; it was made to measure.
TSF
Isn't it awkward mixing your living space, your family space, and your professional space?
Alice
My work is my life. So I have no problem working all the time.
TSF
Now that you have one child, soon to be two, I imagine the rhythm and day-to-day routine are bound to change a bit.
Adrien
With a child, you have to reorganise your life, but you also have to switch off: when they come home at six o'clock in the evening, you shut everything down, and then in the morning, you spend time together. It's great, it helps you structure your day. Andrea really helps us to take more time for ourselves too.
Alice
He forces us to stop what we're doing, but he also compels us to keep busy. The minute you're not on top form you can feel that it's having an impact on him, and you have to do something, take some exercise, for example, to clear your mind.
TSF
What sort of environment did you grow up in, and how did it influence your taste?
Adrien
I grew up in Oyonnax in a loving family. My dad was a catering entrepreneur, my mum was a nurse, and then she worked with my dad. It's funny, but it's more my grandparents' homes that have made an impression on me. They lived in Saint-Etienne, in one of those apartments with a Formica table, lots of earthenware, and always a big tureen in the middle of the table. It was more my grandparents who influenced me aesthetically. My parents didn't really have this culture of design and art. Instead, they were obsessed with the idea of succeeding and escaping from the conditions they lived in. For me, like many Paris-dwellers who are not born Parisians, it was this desire to move towards culture and more creative professions that drove me to come to Paris.
Alice
I was born in Paris, I grew up in Paris, and I come from a family where everyone was born in Paris, and is a lawyer. My parents divorced when I was young, but they shared a love of travelling, so I was able to travel with them when I was little. Lots! It developed my curiosity to explore other cultures, other traditions and other skills and expertise. In Paris, my mother would take us to museums rather than parks and squares. We'd go and eat at Rose Bakery afterwards as my rewards for being patient! I also spent every Wednesday with my grandmother and a lot of time at their house in the Auvergne. It's a region that has left a lasting impression on me. Cooking with my grandmother - that's when I learned about terroir - growing up partly in the countryside... Yes, it was very fulfilling.
TSF
Alice, you're a young mother at a time when women are having children later and later. You had Andrea when you were 24, and you're pregnant with your second child.
Alice
Yes. Frankly, I think it's pretty cool. I'm not aware of my age at all. I've always felt wise beyond my years.
Adrien
To be honest, you may have done it a bit out of generosity because you always said that I shouldn't be too old to have children.
Alice
It's a factor. But it's not just that!
TSF
Is it easy to combine working life and family life, especially when you're so young and at the start of your career? Are you more adaptable when you're an entrepreneur?
Adrien
I don't know if we're more adaptable. Personally, I think we make a big fuss about children and, in the end, it's very simple.
Alice
I got some coaching to help me reorganise my day-to-day life. I come from a family where everyone is very generous, and I have this tendency, too. Of course, it's my upbringing and as a woman, you tend to sacrifice yourself for your family, you stop exercising to prepare baby food and then, poof! You lose a bit of that precious time to yourself. Not to mention managing two businesses at the same time, and then the dog, and Andrea, and still spending time with Adrien... In fact, it was driving me mad. I thought to myself: this is too hard, it's costing me too much. I worked with my coach to draw up my dream timetable and then thought about how to make it happen, how to find techniques to make it work.
TSF
So how do you do it all?
Alice
We set up a schedule, a routine with timetables. For example, you mark out when you will exercise in your schedule. If you don't make a note in your diary, you don't do it. So everything is set in stone, in black and white.
Adrien
You have to say no a lot.
Alice
There are rules. For example, I no longer go out to dinner during the week. When I did, it meant I stayed out late and came home just to put Andrea back to bed. At weekends, no problem. But at the beginning, I thought it would be the same during the week, that it would be cool and nice: as a result, the next day took too much out of me because I was tired, and the little one was tired.
Adrien
Having less time makes you a lot more efficient too. You know that come six o'clock your day is over.
Alice
Yes, and then when things don't go as planned, you have to be able to tell yourself it just doesn't matter.
TSF
Last year you took a long break with Réuni. Can you tell me a bit about this period?
Adrien
Yes, of course! By 2021, we were growing fast. We benefited greatly from the COVID effect. Things were going well for us. We had a structure, and we started to have more employees and grow. Times were hard for most brands in 2022: the war in Ukraine created high inflation, so people were consuming less, and that's not to mention the rising cost of raw materials. All that created complications for us, also linked to the fact that we'd just had a baby, and we were a bit burnt out, to be perfectly honest. So we decided to put it on hold to take our time, reposition the brand, weigh up what we really wanted to do and take a little time for ourselves, too, before relaunching the machine, which is what we did in 2024. And I think that was quite beneficial because it meant we could take a step back from the initial experience of Réuni version 1, which didn't really evolve that much, and to start afresh with new ambitions.
Alice
It's true; it was an intense and fairly turbulent year.
Adrien
It was a lot of things, yes. But it was good.
TSF
And you could afford to do that? Do you make a living from Réuni?
Adrien
Yes, we earn our living with Réuni. I also have my podcast, which is a fairly important source of income for me. I sell sponsorship, like an online magazine. I've been using Squarespace for my podcast for eighteen months now. The anxiety of being an independent is there, but we're coping well.
TSF
Tell us about an object or work you love here.
Adrien
The most important pieces are the Gino Sarfati lights. Go on, Alice!
Alice
My first apartment was in the 18th arrondissement. There was a gallery called Christine Diegoni near my home. When we were at college, we always went to her gallery to drool over the lighting. We said to ourselves: one day, we'll have some of those. And when we moved here, obviously, we went back to her to buy this large sconce, here on the kitchen wall.
Adrien
Il y a aussi cette lampe, qu'on a à notre chevet dans la chambre.
Alice
On l'a trouvée dans une recyclerie en Corrèze et on l'a achetée 5 €. Il y a cette petite marque, « AT ». Plus tard, on a reçu une amie designer qui a regardé la lampe... Elle nous a dit : « Mais attendez, comment vous avez eu une lampe Albert Tormos ? C'est un sculpteur français (Albert Tormos avait un atelier à Saint-Tropez et a développé des lampes sculptures en pierre du Gard. On situe sa période d'activité dans les années 1960-70, ndlr).
Adrien
On peut aussi parler des livres et des magazines, dont on raffole.
Alice
Adrien a une collection de magazines impressionnante. Et rangée avec maniaquerie. C'est presque flippant, tellement c'est bien rangé.
Adrien
Oui, les Monde d'Hermès, on les a tous achetés, entre autres. J'ai pas mal de bouquins sur Donald Judd, Gino Sarfati, Pierre Chapo. On est très inspirés par le XXe siècle, mais aussi par la période gréco-romaine... Le grand écart !
Alice
Rothko, Soulages aussi... bon, on pourrait vous en citer tant.
TSF
What do you think of The Socialite Family?
Alice & Adrien
The Socialite Family is an incredible source of inspiration for all curious individuals like us. Interiors reveal so much about the personalities they represent, making it one of our favourite destinations for inspiration and learning more about people, their tastes, and their aesthetics. Regarding The Socialite Family collections, we are, of course, fans of this colourful and joyful universe, both accessible and demanding, with an Italian vibe.
TSF
Do you have any favourite pieces in our collection, and why?
Alice & Adrien
We would love to have five or six Rotondo modules in bouclé in our living room for reading, dreaming, and entertaining. Its design is simple and effective, and the seating is perfect. We would also love to have the Chiesa bench in our entryway. We appreciate it for its simplicity, functionality, and elegance.
TSF
Do you have any good local go-to places in your neigbourhood you'd like to recommend?
Alice & Adrien
L'Orillon, an exceptional neighbourhood bistro with a menu offering starter, main course, and dessert for 22 euros (35 Rue de l'Orillon, Paris XIe). Loane, our favourite canteen for its incredible phở (50 Rue de Belleville, Paris XXe). Le Cheval d’Or for a refined dinner (21 Rue de la Villette, Paris XIXe). Mulino Mule, the best trattoria in Paris (25 Rue Sainte-Marthe, Paris Xe). La Boulangerie Le Petit Grain, the best bread in Paris! (7 Rue Denoyez, Paris XXe) and finally Ô Divin, a greengrocer offering fresh, seasonal, and quality fruits and vegetables (130 Rue de Belleville, Paris XXe).