Designed by Richard Guilbault, this cozy and luxurious flat in Paris flaunts a living surface of just 322 square feet, and it is occupied by a young couple. Despite its relatively low square footage, the flat manages to provide comfortable living conditions to its inhabitants due to a successful reorganization project. In order to save space, the storage spaces are incorporated into a wall that starts off at the entryway and stretches along the flat’s entire length. This wall can be considered the flat’s backbone, as it comprises the storage spaces, the electric panel, various appliances, a pantry and a dressing room.
The interior design is based on a series of contrasts given off by pure white surfaces, cement tiles, vibrant mosaic pieces and Birchwood elements. The reorganization project included the expansion of the living area, which now occupies two thirds of the total living surface space. The bathroom is custom-made and boasts just 24 square feet of space. In features a decent-sized shower space, a small sink and a large mirror.
From the architect:
This 30 sqm flat transformed by the architect Richard Guilbault was first divided into 4 very dark rooms difficult to fit out. Today occupied by a young couple, the ambition of this full update was to create a dynamical and bright living room, to optimize the use of the private rooms and to maximize the possibility of storage space.
With the new space organization, the living room takes up 2/3 of the living surface area (instead of 1/3 before) and enjoys the light coming from the 4 windows of the flat. The custom-made bathroom is comfortable and takes up only 2.3 sqm. Discreet and intimate, the new sleeping space hides a voluminous storage chest; the raising of the bed makes an atypical and comfortable space, like a cabin; the wide sliding door allows to be isolated from the living room.
Since the entrance, a long wall of storage is running along the complete length of the flat. It is punctuated by 4 niches and a game of contrast between the white and birch plywood front panels. This multipurpose piece of furniture, the backbone of the flat, absorbs all the technical needs of the flat and the different needs of the owners: electric panel, storage, appliances, pantry, fridge, wine cellar, TV, dressing room…
In this small area, everything is deliberately pure and refined. The white surfaces are a carrier for more natural substrates like birchwood or more graphic ones like the cement tiles and the kitchen credenza in kaleidoscope mosaic.
The apparent connections of the former walls have been highlighted by a white concrete filling to tell the history of the flat. The creation of graphic lines enliven a classic wood floor in Parisian flat.
Location: 75018 Paris, France
Area: 30.0 sqm
Year: 2015
Photographs: Meero
