00:01The main idea was to open up the spaces to take full advantage of the many unobstructed views the
00:09apartment offers. I'm very interested in basket weaving and natural dyeing. I wanted this space
00:16to feel like a workshop as well as a home. My name is Sophie Berg, I am an interior designer
00:23and together with Pauline Girardot we founded Petit Jour Architecture, an interior design
00:29company based in Paris. This is my apartment where I have been living for
00:35a year and a half. The apartment is located in the Mary district in Montreuil, a neighboring
00:46city of Paris. The building was constructed in 1975. I drew inspiration from the building's
00:5670s construction period, being careful not to fall into a pastiche of that era. I used
01:03mostly locally sourced or natural materials as well as secondhand pieces whenever I could
01:10find them. When I first got the apartment it was in very good shape. I immediately love
01:20how bright it was thanks to its corner location and windows on three sides. The apartment consisted
01:28of a bedroom, a bathroom and toilet and a closed off living room and kitchen. Nearly all the
01:35spaces were separated by doors, six in total. The first thing I did was to remove the partition
01:42that separated the kitchen and living area. This gave me the opportunity to add an island
01:49that separates the spaces without cutting them off.
01:58As soon as I get home, the first thing I do is sit on the bench that I designed myself
02:04and take off my shoes and coat. I painted the flooring in this area in a bronze-green shade
02:13and gave it a curved border. Front doors in France are usually made from steel and are magnetic,
02:20so I decided to fill mine with postcards from art exhibits. The living room receives the most
02:29light in the apartment. In the lounge area I matched a dusty pink sofa with a chair by the designer
02:37of
02:38the iconic Togo in a warmer shade of pink. Behind the sofa I decided to sand down the wall to
02:46reveal
02:47the raw concrete. Another very seventies thing about this apartment is that it's only 2.5 meters high
02:56which made ceiling lights feel quite uncomfortable. I worked really hard to find different lamps and
03:03light fixtures that could keep the room well lit while providing soft lighting. The floors in here
03:11are also cement, as in the rest of the house, to cut on cost. This area is directly connected to
03:19the
03:19balcony which extends the living area on sunny days. The recessed wall in the corner of the apartment was
03:30the perfect place to install a bookshelf and it naturally became my office area. I decided to face
03:39the desk to the apartment as not to feel totally isolated while working. I wanted to be totally
03:47surrounded by the things I love and inspire me and I needed to have easy access to my stuff.
03:58On top of the bookshelf I installed a pull-down projector screen for movie nights with my boyfriend.
04:07I designed the kitchen knowing it had to be somewhere I could make a bit of mess with my
04:14natural dyes and not worry about staying. Above the sink I added open shelves that can also be accessed from
04:24the outside and makes the space feel less boxed in. For the backsplash I sourced dyes that were in style
04:34in the 70s
04:35that complement the apartment's architecture. I chose to leave the dishwasher, refrigerator and freezer in the kitchen uncovered.
04:47You can see them from inside the kitchen but not from the living space. The dining table is compact but
04:54can
04:55fit up to six people when I have friends over. The legs have adjustable heights which come in handy for
05:02basket weaving.
05:05The bathroom is glossy and colorful. Although this place doesn't have natural light I still wanted
05:14it to feel very luminous. I placed the border colored wall ties in a striped pattern and combined them with
05:22brown floor ties that give the eye a rest. I used the space behind the door to add floating cherry
05:29wood
05:30shelves which I mounted on the wall using tiptoe brackets. Inside the walk-in shower I added a
05:38floating ceramic shelf that looks really good with the colorful dyes and chrome fixtures.
05:46The small transition area gives me a lot of extra storage that I couldn't have fit in the main bathroom.
05:54The multi-tone blue curtain which I made beautifully hides all this clutter while keeping it comfortably
06:02accessible. The bedroom is a peaceful place for me to unwind. Beside the bed I placed a custom-made
06:11dresser that I designed to be a bit lower to the ground to double as a nightstand. I drew inspiration
06:19from
06:20the geometric curves of the 70s. On the other side I placed a wooden beam that I salvaged and sanded
06:28down
06:28to use as a nightstand. I also designed a wardrobe using as little material as possible and closed it
06:37off with pale yellow wool curtains that complement the blue-gray of the walls.
06:45The small toilet is perfect for guests. I wanted to create a sort of rug effect with the ties so
06:52I
06:53chose four different colors that create a checkered pattern. The orange spotlight adds a pop of color
07:00that livens up the space. I finished the space off with the smallest sink I could find.
07:09Living in a small space depending on its size inevitably requires making choices and setting
07:16priorities. It is important to identify which activities can take place in the same spot using
07:26the same furniture and conversely which ones need to be done separately each in its own place.
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