00:05We were inspired by the client's 70s furniture, such as the smoke USM cabinet, Togo sofa and her orange artemite
00:15lamp.
00:16We took into account their colors and materials in order to create a cohesive space.
00:25The idea of our design was to create balance between functions and a clear and flexible space so the client
00:35can rearrange as her life changes.
00:41My office specially works on existing buildings because I love the older materials and I think it's important to have
00:49a connection with the past.
00:54The apartment is in a very large neo-Osmanian condominium built at the beginning of the 20th century.
01:03It's located in a popular district in Paris called Goud d'Or. It's a very lively district.
01:12My name is Bertie Borgia. I'm an architect, founder of OVO Studio in Paris.
01:25The client is a young professional working with startups and this is her first home.
01:33She initially hired me to help remove a load-bearing beam in the kitchen, but we ended up renovating the
01:42whole apartment.
01:46The apartment had not been renovated in a long time.
01:49There was an enclosed kitchen and an open living and dining area, a bedroom at the end of the hallway
01:57and a small and dark bathroom.
02:00The client's first request was to remove the walls around the kitchen and open it up to the living area.
02:07We also removed the walls around the bathroom and created a new toilet and a new entrance to the larger
02:15bathroom.
02:16So the door to the bedroom was removed and allowed more light to enter the bathroom.
02:26Immediately when you enter the apartment, you can see part of the kitchen.
02:32There is a tall closet for coats and shoes and other items and we heat the electrical cabinet with a
02:40curtain in order to have a cozy entrance.
02:46After removing the walls around the kitchen, we were able to increase the size of the kitchen.
02:53The kitchen cabinets are oak with polished concrete for the countertop.
02:59The storage unit heats the fridge, washing machine and a lot of storage for the kitchen.
03:06And there is a water boiler hidden behind a hidden wall.
03:12Because the kitchen is a part of the living room, we wanted the kitchen to have a clean and open
03:18look.
03:19This is why we chose not to have cabinets above the kitchen counter.
03:23This also meant we couldn't have a traditional range hood.
03:27So the induction cooktop we chose actually has an extraction fan built in.
03:34We chose to use mirrors for the splash back because they are easy to clean while also reflecting the surrounding
03:42space.
03:44The kitchen cabinets and countertop seamlessly transitions into a large oak wall storage unit.
03:51To taper off at the end of the kitchen storage unit, we added a curve front to wrap around the
03:57existing beam.
03:58It softens the space and is a nice contrast to the flat lines of the joinery in the living room.
04:07We left the bare metal beam to remind us of its connection with the past.
04:12We love this link between the structural and decorative elements.
04:18The dining area has a generous dining table that can fit six people.
04:24As it is in the open space to the living room, it allows guests to interact between the two spaces.
04:32The living room has two large windows which brings in a lot of natural light.
04:38We designed the space to be fluid so that the client can move things around and rearrange it to suit
04:46her needs.
04:47This is also why the togo sofas are great as they are very easy to move and because of the
04:53low profile,
04:54it also gives the small living room feeling more spacious.
04:59We added floating shelves on either side of the old fireplace which was removed before the client arrived.
05:07One of the walls, we left it blank so the client can use a projector to watch movies.
05:15We extended the storage closet at the entrance to wrap around the bottom of the living area.
05:23The color of the storage is the same as the kitchen countertop.
05:28It also can be used as a bench or surface to sit on and display artwork and plants.
05:37The toilet uses a pocket door to maximize the space.
05:41This allowed us to add a small wash basin in the corner.
05:46The square orange tiles give some warmth to the toilet room and the 17th filling.
05:55We created the new and sweet bathroom.
05:58It makes the bedroom feel a lot bigger.
06:02The floor and walls in the bathroom are polished concrete.
06:05They are the same materials we used in the kitchen.
06:09We keep the bathroom simple.
06:11There is a shower with a niche for toiletries and white vanity with a terrazzo basin.
06:18The bedroom is at the far end of the apartment.
06:23And we keep the original closet but we abraded the closet doors using second hand fabric and oak frames.
06:32The fabric can really add some soft touch to the bedroom.
06:38For the bedroom, we design a bed head with a niche on both sides to act like a bedside table.
06:47So the approach to design small spaces is to be very personalized and to be a good listener.
06:55There is no one set of rules that we apply to everyone.
06:59So it is important to understand their lifestyle and needs.
07:18Blit poor people and then use the bathroom.
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