00:02This apartment belongs to my sister and she has lived here since the renovation was completed four years ago.
00:10The brief boils down to two main requirements.
00:14My sister wanted to open up the space and create lots of storage for her plants and clothes.
00:23We also took advantage of the material light and kept the colors and materials simple and natural.
00:33My name is François Le Pivin, I'm an architect and the co-founder of Sone Building Workshop in Paris.
00:49This apartment is located in the Max Dormois neighborhood near the Marché de l'Olive in the north of Paris.
00:57It is a charming and quiet area close to cafes, squares and supermarkets.
01:05The apartment is 33 square meters.
01:08The idea is to create a continuous birch plywood joinery that includes storage, kitchen functions, stairs and a base for
01:17the mezzanine.
01:18It runs through the entire volume and creates a fluid connection between spaces.
01:27The apartment was last renovated in the 80s and had remained unchanged since then.
01:34It was actually quite an interesting 70s design, but 40 years later it needed a refresh.
01:41In the original layout, the toilet was by the entrance and the shower was all the way to the other
01:47side of the apartment, next to the bedroom.
01:50The first task was to remove the partition separating the rooms, allowing light to flood in through the three large
01:56windows.
01:57Custom joinery was added at the entrance, kitchen and living room, providing much needed storage.
02:04The toilet walls were removed and the toilet was moved into the new bathroom.
02:09We then removed the whole ceiling and found an extra 50 cm of space above.
02:14This allowed us to create a mezzanine bedroom above the kitchen.
02:22The apartment has a perfect courtyard planted with small trees and shrubs.
02:27It is a small oasis in this lively and popular area.
02:32There are three buildings in this block, all built in the early 20th century.
02:41Entering the apartment, you are immediately wrapped in a bright and warm atmosphere.
02:47My sister added a curtain so she could hide the front door.
02:51It helps her to make the room feel more intimate.
02:56At the entrance, there is a storage area with a small alcove and a mirrored shelf, as well as full
03:02height cabinets.
03:05The upper section is used for long term storage, while the space below is used on a daily basis.
03:15The joinery continues to become the kitchen worktop, the stairs for the mezzanine, and lastly the storage for the living
03:23area.
03:26The kitchen is under the mezzanine, so the height of this space is lower than the other areas in the
03:32apartment.
03:33We choose white for the wall and ceiling, so it helps to make the space feel less small.
03:39The main part of the kitchen is a large island counter.
03:42I think it is important to have a multifunctional space that can be used for cooking, as well as eating,
03:50entertaining friends or working.
03:53The island contains appliances such as an induction stove, a countertop extractor, an oven and some storage.
04:02To further highlight the demarcation between the kitchen and the rest of the apartment,
04:07we played with different colors and finishes.
04:11We used large grey concrete looking tiles for the kitchen,
04:15and a greenish blue color for the cabinets and splash back.
04:20Because the pantry is under the stairs, we were limited to using a smaller fridge.
04:27I think it is the perfect size for a small studio, and after 4 years living here,
04:31my sister hasn't really felt she needed a bigger one.
04:35We added a washing machine in the corner below.
04:40The pantry conceal this part of the kitchen from the living area, so there is less visual mess.
04:47With the removal of the main wall in the apartment, it now benefits from the natural light coming in through
04:54the three large windows.
04:58The living room has become a spacious and a breathable space.
05:03A chimney runs through the back wall of the living area, so we took the opportunity to be playful with
05:08it and added a green wallpaper.
05:11On one side, we added shelves and a cabinet for more storage.
05:15The entire floor was replaced with a herringbone in natural oak, a nod to Parisian bourgeois tradition,
05:22and a statement for this apartment in a working class neighborhood.
05:28The journey continues from the kitchen through to the living room.
05:33This simple line connects the spaces and provides a lot of storage space for clothes and other household items.
05:42The storage is low and acts as a surface for my sister's plants, her mirror and other things she wants
05:49to display.
05:51It is also a nice spot to sit when her friends are over.
05:56Under the landing of the stairs, we added the hatch to access the space below for storing large items.
06:04You can actually make use of the entire space under the first two steps as well.
06:12The staircase leads to a cozy cocoon bedroom.
06:16The stairs are designed so you can stand on the platform next to the bed.
06:23You can sit on the bed and have a standing height when you roll out of the bed.
06:30The bedroom is compact, but by leaving enough space around the mattress and playing with open shelves along the window,
06:37it gives a sense of both openness and great intimacy.
06:41We also added shelves at the end of the stairs so she can store more private items.
06:48The mattress sits directly on the floor, but we have managed to create a ventilation system underneath.
06:55We turn the space around the stairs into as much additional storage as we could.
07:07Originally, we planned to have a traditional shape vanity, but during the renovation, we realized that it would not fit
07:14the area well.
07:15So we created the custom vanity units that fit into the corner of the bathroom.
07:20The bathroom benefits from the full ceiling height and a small window overlooking a small courtyard.
07:26It is a great asset for airflow.
07:29In the front of the toilet, there is a small niche with shelves and a hot water tank.
07:36We wanted to have the shower in its own part of the bathroom.
07:40So there is enough space to get in and out while keeping the space private when guests use the bathroom.
07:48In Paris, apartments are never square.
07:51And so you have to deal with the existing.
07:53How to be creative, how to make this compact space as spacious as it can be,
08:00as luminous as it can be,
08:03at the end of the day, as comfortable as it can be.
08:07So it's all about balance and balancing these proportions together.
08:27The next part of the bathroom is a place to buy in and out of and out of.
08:29It's a good fit for the building.
08:30How should we be that?
08:30So let's do that, let's take a quick look at the bathroom window.
08:31There's not enough space for the bathroom room.
08:31Right now, we can take a moment to go to the bathroom here.
08:31And next to the bathroom room.
08:31I will take the bathroom room.
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