00:01My idea for this apartment was to use traditional and natural materials,
00:07such as granite and plywood.
00:09I took inspiration from the Japanese concept of the Shoji.
00:14It's a sort of merging of French inspiration and Japanese inspiration,
00:20and I think it's at the core of my practice as an architect.
00:31The apartment is in the eastern area of Paris.
00:36The building was built in the middle 19th century during the Industrial Revolution.
00:43Today, most occupants are students or young professionals like me or young couples.
00:50My name is Marlies Salferat. I'm an engineer and architect based in Paris.
00:56I actually own this apartment.
01:01The floor plan of the apartment hasn't changed since it was built.
01:06There were two small rooms, a tiny kitchen and a small bathroom.
01:11The front door opens directly into the living room.
01:15There used to be a small entrance with a partition, but I wanted the space to be fluid, so I
01:21removed it.
01:22I removed the central partition between the bedroom and the living room,
01:27and I designed a furniture that would be at the same time a bench, a closet, a desk,
01:34and that would serve as a partition between the new living room and the new bedroom.
01:42From the entrance, the first thing you'll notice is the shoji and the bench.
01:48Usually, shoji are made out of rice paper on a lattice frame.
01:53These materials are not easy to find in Paris nowadays,
01:56so I decided to use plywood cleats and polycarbonate in order to create a new style of shoji.
02:06The living room is a simple open space.
02:09There is a couch that can become a bed when I have guests.
02:13I built some wall shelves out of the leftover plywood and painted it in white so it would blend with
02:20the walls.
02:20I have my books and plants here.
02:23They are the only possessions that I have a lot of.
02:26On the other side of the couch, there is a bench that is also part of the shoji wall.
02:34The bench can also hold a TV if new owners or occupants want it.
02:41In front of the couch, there is a coffee table that I just found on the street and painted in
02:48white.
02:50The kitchen is in a nook next to the living room.
02:54I like to call it my minimalist cave.
02:58The countertop is granite which is very versatile.
03:02There is an induction hob, a sink, a dishwasher and an oven.
03:07And there is also a washing machine hidden behind a door.
03:10There is no need for an exhaust fan because of the ventilation of the wall, which saves space for more
03:19kitchen storage.
03:21On the other side of the kitchen, there is a storage unit that goes from the floor to the ceiling.
03:27When I need to work from home, there is a hidden door that folds out into a desk.
03:34It's a really nice place to work as there is plenty of natural light from the large window beside it.
03:41Having the storage unit sit slightly out of the side from the living room creates a separate zone in a
03:49small open apartment.
03:52The door of the bedroom is made of polycarbonate so the light can circulate in the whole apartment and enter
04:00the bedroom.
04:02Inside, the space is designed to feel like a cabin.
04:06At night, the light inside the bedroom transforms it into a light box in the middle of the apartment.
04:14In order to create a relaxing and warm atmosphere in the bedroom, I just wanted a soft glow coming from
04:22the wall and no light from the ceiling.
04:25In the bedroom, there is an additional closet unit and you can have access from within the bedroom or from
04:32outside.
04:37The bathroom was newly renovated when I moved into the apartment.
04:43So it was already quite functional with a shower, a mirror, a sink and water closet.
04:49So I focused on the living room and the bedroom and decided to save my time and money and keep
04:57it what was already functional.
04:59I try to have, in general, a frugal approach with reduced carbon footprint materials and natural materials.
05:08When you make a project with good materials, you'd better think about the design because you're going to keep it
05:14for long.
05:15When you manage to find a way to make it last in time, in the material but in the use
05:23also, that's how it becomes sustainable.
05:25After all, that's how it's built to be too small and kind of a comfortable.
05:26Have a good goal.
05:27Well, it's not all for you to get back in as a while.
05:29A lot of fun is a wonderful thing.
05:34I hope you can, especially if you cried and you're a good person.
05:34I want to be able to become a beautiful picture or a beautiful picture of your book.
05:35I have all of you to get into a really beautiful picture of your book and your book.
05:35Bye bye-bye.
05:35You're very happy to meet my book.
05:36You're looking at the art in the room.
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