Marianne Evennou has a knack for making even the most pint-sized nook feel like a jewel box. With tricks of the eye and sometimes puzzle-like ingenuity, she ekes out every inch and saturates rooms in unexpected color. We’ve come to think of her as the doyenne of bite-size design—and she does it all with a certain French flair.

Today, the Paris- and Senis-based designer writes in with her design must-haves, the best colors to use in the bedroom, and the unsightlies she can’t stand. (P.S. If you invite her to dinner, she’ll bring the greatest host gift.) Read on…

What are your signature design moves?

Playing with depths; transparencies to push out the walls and find harmony; playing with colors and materials; crossbreeding through pieces in very different styles.

Your first design love?

I will always keep in my memory a dinner in Hong Kong at the China Club. It was a perfect lesson of a very free, colorful, and personal style that brilliantly mixes past and present, a place with the power to make your mind travel.

What’s your go-to host gift?

I like to offer a handmade gift: a ceramic piece from my friend @atelier_a_quatre_mains, a notebook from Antoinette Poisson, or a basket from Atelier Vime. When spring comes, it might also be cherry branches, or chocolates from my neighbor Ducasse. You can follow the artisanal production of the chocolates behind beautiful windows in a setting that has nothing to envy of the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The process of buying must be as pleasant as the offering.

What are you reading?

Journal Imaginaire de Charlotte Perriand [an “imaginary diary” of the designer], chez Flammarion.

My favorite sheets are…

Probably from Caravane.

My favorite paint color for the bedroom is…

A clear color. It could be a touch of blue or green with white.

What’s a design trend that needs to go?

All the curved canapés.

And your design pet peeve?

It could be a long list: a television, a massive fridge…

My go-to kitchen utensil is…

The teapot and the kettle.

What is the last thing you purchased for your house?

A suzani that I use as a bedcover, and an Andalusian chest.

An essential you can’t live without?

A bed, shower, and toilet, to answer in a down-to-earth manner. Then books, paintings, and sculptures.

What Instagram accounts do you go to for inspiration?

@quintana.partners, @lolahats, @chiaracalvidorizza, @devolkitchens, @theworldofinteriors, @ateliervime, @woandwecollection, and @olivierabry.

I don’t leave the house without…

Checking if all the lights are off and my cat is inside.

Something you’re coveting?

Time and a peaceful mind.

Thank you, Marianne! Follow her work @marianneevennou and at via her site. (Working with a small space? Have a look at Marianne’s tricks for making the most: 10 Petite Paris Kitchens by Marianne Evennou.)