PHOTO FIX

French interior designer Charlotte Macaux Perelman normally likes to respect the history of the spaces she transforms. “There’s always a soul; something to preserve,” she explains. “I like to take inspiration from what I find.” A perfect example is a loft she renovated on University Place in Manhattan for an art dealer about 10 years ago where she kept the irregular floorboards and cracked concrete ceilings, and insisted the plumbing pipes and electrical system remain apparent.

There is, however, an exception to every rule,” she says.