00:07Most small Parisian apartments give you the impression that you're always in the
00:11same room like the kitchen is mixed with the living room, it's mixed with the
00:14bedroom, it's mixed with the bathroom. We kind of wanted to separate these
00:20spaces by really giving them character so it feels like you're not living in
00:25the same room all the time. In a space capsule every object is designed for one
00:31purpose, every space is super optimized to consume the least amount of space.
00:38That was also the reason why we call this project the space capsule. My name is
00:46François Bourin and I'm Pierre, we are brothers and architects working in Paris.
00:57The apartment is located in the 14th arrondissement of Paris. Across the
01:04square is Rue Daguerre which is a vibrant market street and one of the most
01:09artistic streets in Paris. It is very close to a big public transport which
01:16makes it super easy to reach. From here you can access popular markets, grocery
01:23stores and a very nice park.
01:30The building was built at the end of the 19th century. The client is a screenwriter
01:37for French cinema and television. She loves art and architecture.
01:44Before the renovation it was two small studios next to each other which added up
01:49to 17 square meters. One was her office, the other one was left unused. The ceiling was
01:56quite low and there was a lot of space between the ceiling and the skylight.
02:01She wanted to merge the two studios to create a fully functional apartment.
02:06The Observatoire de Paris, which is the oldest functioning observatory in the world, is very
02:11close to this apartment and became a symbol of the project. So we wanted the apartment facing
02:17the sky to be our own observatoire.
02:22Before the renovation the office space was very narrow. It had a skylight and a very high window.
02:28The small studio was completely run down but had a large window facing west. There were no bathrooms
02:34or kitchen, not even the plumbing. We began by taking down the wall between the two studios. We kept one
02:42door and boarded up the inside of the other one. Then we brought down the ceiling and were pleased to
02:48find
02:48one meter and a half of extra space to work with. A kitchen and toilet was added on the
02:53lower floor and connected by a staircase. We created an upper floor which became the
03:00private area. It has the bedroom with a wardrobe, a shower and the sink.
03:09When you enter the apartment there is a three meter high closet in front that underlines the
03:14significant volume of this part of the apartment. Behind the doors there is a room for jackets,
03:22shoes and other clothing items. Right next to it is an open wooden shelf which we call the library.
03:33We designed the library with different shelf heights to break the symmetrical aspect of the entrance.
03:45The living room is located next to the window looking towards the rooftops of Paris.
03:56We created a small and comfortable L-shaped sitting bench to fit perfectly just below that window.
04:03Keeping all the functions of the apartment in the corners to make a clear space for the living room
04:09enhance the feeling of open space. When we took down the ceiling we found old beams. The beams had a
04:20lot of nails to
04:21hold the plaster ceilings inside them. We like the historical value of that aspect.
04:31The dining space is made up of a round table with two chairs. It could become a desk, a dining
04:39table or a
04:40surface to prepare meals. The location of the kitchen is in the corner of the apartment and underneath the
04:49upper floor so it could disappear as much as possible from the other spaces.
04:56The kitchen cabinets are nestled along the wall. It is an Ikea kitchen with a third-party poplar plywood facades.
05:04We chose it for its clear tones and durability.
05:10We added a marble countertop in light gray. We continued the countertop up the wall for the splashback to create
05:16a seamless look.
05:19We also put up three paintings by Francois to make it more colorful.
05:27To hide away the kitchen when not in use we used the partition. As it is not permanent it can
05:33be moved
05:33around the apartment or removed all together. It is the same color as the roofing of the observatory.
05:40So we thought it would be a good connection between the two.
05:46By the kitchen there is a custom door that follows the same angle as the stairs.
05:52We used the space under the staircase to incorporate the toilet and the laundry.
05:57These features are the very end of the apartment so they can be as discreet as possible for the visual
06:04aspect as well as for the noise.
06:10Using the space under the stairs we added more storage.
06:14It wasn't specifically designed for kitchen items and can be used for larger household items.
06:24The sleeping and bathroom area is where the idea of a capsule really translates.
06:30There are no limits between them. They are one single tiny space where every centimeter is preciously used.
06:38The passage from the staircase to the bed is narrow but allows enough room for the shower and the bathroom
06:44sink.
06:45The skylight brings in a lot of natural light in this otherwise dark part of the apartment.
06:52The skylight can also be closed using a curtain.
06:58The bed is beside the bathroom. It sits on a custom platform that raises it off the floor.
07:07The bed looks down and over the living area, borrowing the natural light from the windows there.
07:14We purposely opened the upper space to reduce the claustrophobic feeling you can have in such narrow spaces.
07:21We thought it would be nice to have a space to fit in a lamp.
07:25It gives you know more comfort and coziness.
07:33On the other side of the bed is a large custom storage wall for clothes and other items.
07:39We also added curtains here to hide away the mess as the storage wall is visible from the lower floor.
07:49Paris is very dense and most of the dwellings that people occupy are very compact.
07:57We feel that better design means better living and that thoughtful thinking improves the way you interact with your space.
08:06Our approach is very rustic in some ways.
08:09We like to design honest spaces without too many moving parts so they retain their simplicity and ease of use.
08:16We are trying to make an opportunity to do a lot of work from the houses.
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