00:03The building was completed in 1959 as part of the post-war reconstruction program.
00:16The apartment is located in Lyon on the Fourvière hill and it's approximately 30 minutes from the city centre.
00:26We wanted to stick to the original spirit of the building.
00:30We scrapped the gamble wall in the living room and the master bedroom to highlight the rough concrete structure.
00:38It's a way to show the heritage of the building, also it becomes a feature element of the apartment.
00:45We live here with our six-month-old daughter Alma. We bought this flat in 2020.
01:00We are surrounded by nature where we also feel connected with the city centre.
01:06We fell in love immediately with the stunning views on the Saun River, the city centre and then the Alpes
01:14including the Mont Blanc.
01:17We wanted a minimalistic design atmosphere, so we added as much built-in storage as possible.
01:25To optimize space, to get its full potential and also adapt it to a contemporary lifestyle.
01:35When we first found the apartment, it was still in its original layout from the 50s.
01:41There were two bedrooms, a separate kitchen and a small living dining room, separated by a large corridor.
01:50We knocked down the master bedroom in order to create a large open living kitchen and dining area.
01:57The original kitchen was turned into a small bedroom.
02:02We also switched the other bedroom access to allow light to go through the apartment.
02:06We narrowed the width of the corridor to allow for additional storage space.
02:16When you walk into the apartment, you discover a floor-to-ceiling painted corridor.
02:21It connects every room in the apartment.
02:25At the end, we placed a full-size mirror to visually extend the corridor.
02:31On the left side, we narrowed the width of the existing space to gain closet and storage space.
02:39It includes two concealed doors.
02:43We wanted to enjoy natural light all day long.
02:47We made sure that all the doors were aligned with the window,
02:50so the light would go through the apartment and especially at sunrise and sunset time.
02:59When entering in the living room, you are immediately drawn to the balcony and the view.
03:06We painted the balcony floor in Majorelle blue just because it was fun.
03:12We love having breakfast there in the weekends.
03:16The seating area includes a sofa.
03:19It is large enough so that we can use it as an extra bed.
03:22The two armchairs and the coffee table are vintage pieces from the 60s.
03:28The orange chairs have been in Mary's family for decades.
03:33Along the back wall, a long piece of furniture with oak door hides our library and a radiator.
03:40We used the blank wall above as a screen for our projector.
03:45For the oak board, we used only IKEA elements.
03:48We added side finishes between each furniture in order to make it fit to our space.
03:56We used this strategy for the kitchen and the bedroom too.
04:01We wanted the living room to look larger, so the kitchen has to be as obtrusive as possible.
04:08That is why we used only low kitchen cabinets with drawers.
04:13We chose a quartz countertop and white-tapped sink and induction cooktop.
04:21In an adjoining room, we made a small pantry room.
04:24We called it cabistu.
04:26It is entirely custom-made in red fiberboard.
04:29We hid an oven, a fridge, a vacuum cleaner and our grassery here.
04:36The dining area has a table also finished in oak.
04:40It can sit up to 10 guests when we add all the stools we have in the apartment.
04:45At the back of the kitchen, we carefully remove the plaster from the wall to reveal the structural wall from
04:52the building.
04:53It's a way to show the heritage of the building.
04:56Also, it becomes a feature element of the apartment.
05:01The master bedroom is at the end of the corridor.
05:04It receives a lot of natural light from a large window.
05:08We use the pocket system to make the door blend into the wall and allow just a little more space
05:14to move around.
05:15It makes all the difference in a small space.
05:20We love the way the light focuses on the texture of the wall.
05:23Below the window, there is a low cabinet with oak door similar to the cabinet in the living room.
05:30We use it to store books and hide the radiator.
05:34On the top of it, we display a mix of beloved items, plants and family pictures.
05:41The floor to ceiling wardrobe doors were custom-made and painted white to look like a wall.
05:47The other items are all derived from wood.
05:54Alma's bedroom is by the entrance.
05:57We choose a pocket sliding door to maximize the space.
06:01It allows us to put a small wardrobe which we soften up using a floor to ceiling curtain.
06:08We used some of Maxim's drawing to decorate Alma's room.
06:12And I used leftover paint from the apartment to create the mobile over Alma's bed.
06:19The bathroom is through another concealed door in the corridor.
06:24We want it to look very minimalistic, so almost all the space is covered with wax concrete.
06:30We made a ledge to hide the pipes, but now we use it to place our plants on top.
06:38The hanging basin extends into the shower area.
06:44We designed as much built-in storage as possible to accommodate the washing machine, hot water tank and other bathroom
06:51items.
06:53At the entrance of the bathroom, there is a small room for the toilet.
07:00As an architect, when it comes to designing a home, I'm always looking for harmony and well-being.
07:07I think it's always better to reuse rather than destroy and rebuild.
07:13I think it's the best way to reduce our land footprint and also energy consumption.
07:20This way we take advantage of the heritage of the building to turn it into something new.
07:43That's the way it's taking down.
07:43That's what we look at.
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