Complete renovation of a Parisian apartment in a 70s building
Perched on the 9th floor of a 1970s building, this apartment unfolds between two remarkable urban landscapes: the rooftops of Paris from the living area and the Sacré-Cœur from the bedrooms. This dual aspect defines the apartment’s character—a bright, flowing space where light and perspective connect two distinct urban landscapes.
The kitchen island was designed with a sense of lightness, treated almost as a sculptural object. Within the space, a dialogue of materials unfolds: wood, glass shelves, stainless steel, and the existing concrete, revealed after paint stripping. A Joe Colombo lamp, integrated from the earliest sketches, converses with a Murano glass pendant. The kitchen orchestrates a play of textures, styles, weight, and lightness, achieving a harmonious balance.
The original layout, typical of 1970s standards, strictly separated the day and night areas, masking the apartment’s potential of being double aspects and leaving the central zone starved of natural light.
The design reclaims this potential with a clear gesture: two openings carved around a central core. This nucleus organizes circulation and allows light to flow freely from one façade to the other. Around it, paths multiply and perspectives intersect, animating the interior with movement and depth.
In compact apartments, doors play a crucial role, enabling multiple spatial configurations throughout the day and transforming the use of rooms through simple acts of opening and closing.
The master bedroom transforms into a true suite, complete with a private dressing area and exclusive access to the bathroom. By closing the door to the living area and the bathroom door on the children’s side, the suite gains complete privacy, creating an independent, intimate retreat within the home.
The wooden casings on the façades, incorporating the rolling shutters, are repeated to accentuate the apartment’s traversing nature. Through a subtle mise-en-abyme, they extend the sightlines and amplify the sense of continuity, enhancing the fluid, layered experience of moving through the space.
The bathroom, designed as a through-space with dual access, becomes a connector and shared hub within the apartment. It links the master bedroom with the children’s rooms, introducing a new sense of fluidity. One can imagine the ease and warmth of morning routines, with the family preparing together in a generous, thoughtfully connected space.
The sink, conceived as a central element, is framed by two custom recessed lamps, accentuating the space’s generous proportions and lending it a sculptural presence within the room.
One of the clients is a publisher, and books occupy a central place in daily life. A full-height library wall structures the living area, becoming more than furniture—it is, as the client describes, a member of the family.
Client testimonial, two months after moving in:
“The joy of mornings in the apartment, these are the moments that move me every day, and I never get used to them. It is truly the most beautiful layout one could ever imagine. Thank you again for creating it for us.”
