Houzz Tour: Old Garage in Paris Becomes a Family Loft
A single source of natural light goes far in this 700-square-foot home for a couple and their 2 kids
Looking to buy their first home, this family discovered a rare gem: the empty expanse of a former garage built in 1958 just behind Montmartre in Paris. The four-story building had been rehabilitated over the past three years and still bore traces of access ramps and raw concrete surfaces. Attracted by its industrial feel, the new owners saw the opportunity to tailor the garage to their needs and create a contemporary loft-style apartment.
To ensure that their purchase would be in safe hands, they called on two young interior designers, Céline Pelcé and Géraud Pellottiero, to brave the renovation with them. “They chose us because we are a team. They did not hesitate to tell us about their lifestyle, and we got the chance to work on a project that fully corresponds to the kind of architecture we believe in,” Pellottiero says.
That architecture is centered around custom solutions, which create the perfect space for the owners. “My grandfather was a builder, and my father worked in the construction industry,” Pellottiero says. “I learned very quickly that good work takes time. Today, if we opt for ready-made and preformatted solutions to reduce costs, we aren’t doing our clients any favors because they lose the hallmarks of a beautiful interior design project worthy of the name.”
To ensure that their purchase would be in safe hands, they called on two young interior designers, Céline Pelcé and Géraud Pellottiero, to brave the renovation with them. “They chose us because we are a team. They did not hesitate to tell us about their lifestyle, and we got the chance to work on a project that fully corresponds to the kind of architecture we believe in,” Pellottiero says.
That architecture is centered around custom solutions, which create the perfect space for the owners. “My grandfather was a builder, and my father worked in the construction industry,” Pellottiero says. “I learned very quickly that good work takes time. Today, if we opt for ready-made and preformatted solutions to reduce costs, we aren’t doing our clients any favors because they lose the hallmarks of a beautiful interior design project worthy of the name.”
Before. The place was a 700-square-foot rectangle with a large floor-to-ceiling window, which faces the street, as its only light source. The designers immediately agreed to plan the space so that, as in an artist’s studio, all living areas would face this luminous facade.
Before. With a ceiling that’s 10½ feet at its highest point, it wasn’t hard to imagine adding a mezzanine. The owners liked the beams, ramps and small concrete vaults — testaments to the building’s past as a garage — and wanted to keep them.
The plan for the layout quickly took shape: a large living room next to the glass facade, two bedrooms with glass walls (to distribute the natural light) and a hall leading to the bathroom and laundry room at the very back of the apartment.
It took four months of planning and six months of building to optimize every inch of the apartment. “To gain some space, we designed every wall and partition so as to conceal items such as the heating system, electrical wires, etc.,” Pellottiero says. “We used partitions to hide both the electrical system and the ducts for the mechanical ventilation system and also to provide storage space wherever possible.”
Another interesting aspect of the design is water-based underfloor heating, which is connected to the central hot water system. “The remote-controlled heated floor is divided into five separate areas to maximize comfort,” Pellottiero says. “The heat exchanger integrated at the entrance of the network makes it possible to get heat from the main network while being able to control [each section] independently.”
The only furniture the owners bought new for this apartment is in the living room: the comfortable, iconic Togo sofa and a geometric wall shelf. Everything else is built-in. For example, the oak frame of the master bedroom’s glass wall doubles as a desk for the living room.
Sofa: Togo series, Ligne Roset; wall shelf: Presse Citron
It took four months of planning and six months of building to optimize every inch of the apartment. “To gain some space, we designed every wall and partition so as to conceal items such as the heating system, electrical wires, etc.,” Pellottiero says. “We used partitions to hide both the electrical system and the ducts for the mechanical ventilation system and also to provide storage space wherever possible.”
Another interesting aspect of the design is water-based underfloor heating, which is connected to the central hot water system. “The remote-controlled heated floor is divided into five separate areas to maximize comfort,” Pellottiero says. “The heat exchanger integrated at the entrance of the network makes it possible to get heat from the main network while being able to control [each section] independently.”
The only furniture the owners bought new for this apartment is in the living room: the comfortable, iconic Togo sofa and a geometric wall shelf. Everything else is built-in. For example, the oak frame of the master bedroom’s glass wall doubles as a desk for the living room.
Sofa: Togo series, Ligne Roset; wall shelf: Presse Citron
The apartment’s two bedrooms are separated from the main space with picture windows. “The building on the opposite side of the street is less than [20 feet] from the apartment. We could have tried to conceal private areas such as the bedrooms, but we decided to highlight them and make these spaces more dramatic instead,” Pellottiero says.
Still, drapes in the bedrooms can close for privacy.
Still, drapes in the bedrooms can close for privacy.
The family wanted to be able to seat up to 15 people in the kitchen. The island’s solid oak top unfolds to double the table length to 11½ feet. The details were meticulously crafted by hand by a metalworker.
The kitchen cabinet fronts are made of Valchromat and oak veneer, and the countertop is Zimbabwe black granite. They ended up spending about $16,000 [13,000 euros] on the kitchen despite an original budget of only about $3,700 [3,000 euros], Pellottiero says. The overall budget was about $200 per square foot, all included.
Kitchen furniture: Ikea
The kitchen cabinet fronts are made of Valchromat and oak veneer, and the countertop is Zimbabwe black granite. They ended up spending about $16,000 [13,000 euros] on the kitchen despite an original budget of only about $3,700 [3,000 euros], Pellottiero says. The overall budget was about $200 per square foot, all included.
Kitchen furniture: Ikea
A yellow line runs along the top of the kitchen cabinets to highlight one of the baselines of the design. This large diagonal beam that extends into the children’s room and the bathroom was original to the space and served as a benchmark for the placement of the upper kitchen cabinets as well as the coat rack in the children’s room and the yellow pendant light in the bathroom (pictured later in this story).
Pendant lights: Ballroom collection, Design By Us; floor tile: Tierras collection by Patricia Urquiola, Mutina
Pendant lights: Ballroom collection, Design By Us; floor tile: Tierras collection by Patricia Urquiola, Mutina
Just behind the kitchen, to the right of the white MDF column that hides the refrigerator, is the children’s room’s sash window. The 24-inch-wide frame made it possible to put storage in its base.
The children love to perch on the ledges on both sides of the glass wall. “Our idea was to open the spaces up as much as possible and transform this window into a fun structure,” Pellottiero says.
The children love to perch on the ledges on both sides of the glass wall. “Our idea was to open the spaces up as much as possible and transform this window into a fun structure,” Pellottiero says.
The children’s room has two levels: a playroom at the bottom and a nest-like sleeping area at the top.
The yellow line that runs from the kitchen highlights a wooden coat rack. Wallpaper by Alexia de Ville, an artist from Brussels, brightens the space with pink parakeets on a gray background.
Wallpaper: Tenue de Ville
Wallpaper: Tenue de Ville
Since the playroom is small, it was necessary to think of a way to reach the mezzanine without sacrificing any storage or taking up too much floor space. This ladder runs over the storage units. The children nimbly climb the rungs to get to their perch, and the adults give good-night kisses from halfway up.
On the mezzanine are two twin beds protected by safety nets. It is a post-and-beam construction out of steel welded on-site. The designers recount that they built a 1:50 scale model of the setup and checked its structural alignment before building the real thing.
A hall leads from the children’s room to the back of the apartment. A family of four in a small apartment requires plenty of storage space, which is why part of the 13-foot-long hall was outfitted with closets.
The small off-center window near the top of the closet sits above one of the children’s beds and lets a little light into their room.
The small off-center window near the top of the closet sits above one of the children’s beds and lets a little light into their room.
To the right is the entrance to the master bedroom.
The semicircular door is similar to those in ferry cabins. “We designed this arched pocket door ourselves and had it made by a craftsman. It was one of the biggest challenges of this project … because the drawing is quite technical,” Pellottiero says.
The semicircular door is similar to those in ferry cabins. “We designed this arched pocket door ourselves and had it made by a craftsman. It was one of the biggest challenges of this project … because the drawing is quite technical,” Pellottiero says.
In the master bedroom, the old coffered ceiling, with its rounded beams, was carefully preserved.
On the floor, a cozy loop-pile carpet is a change from the laminate flooring in the rest of the house.
Laminate oak flooring: Quickstep
On the floor, a cozy loop-pile carpet is a change from the laminate flooring in the rest of the house.
Laminate oak flooring: Quickstep
The glass wall was designed to let in as much light as possible.
“We did not use a classic glass wall to partition the rooms because we already had a facade that imposed a marked pattern. We did not want to impose a second pattern of positive and negative spaces with narrow, high windows. In addition, they would have blocked part of the light,” Pellottiero says.
“We did not use a classic glass wall to partition the rooms because we already had a facade that imposed a marked pattern. We did not want to impose a second pattern of positive and negative spaces with narrow, high windows. In addition, they would have blocked part of the light,” Pellottiero says.
The bed in the master bedroom is a storage bed. A carpenter designed it to flip up to reveal an area of about 124 cubic feet that the owners call their “cellar.”
Nestled in the lower-right portion of the apartment, the bathroom walls still retain some of the architectural features of the old garage, which did not make the design easy.
Despite the lack of space, the owners wanted to have a shower and a bathtub.
Despite the lack of space, the owners wanted to have a shower and a bathtub.
To save on space for bathroom fixtures, nothing beats custom-made.
“We hired craftsmen that only do this type of work,” Pellottiero says.
Hexagonal cement floor tile: Mosaic del Sur
“We hired craftsmen that only do this type of work,” Pellottiero says.
Hexagonal cement floor tile: Mosaic del Sur
To bring light into this room while still turning it into an exceptional little corner, one side of the shower features glass tiles with gold-painted backs.
Glass tile: Emery & Cie
Glass tile: Emery & Cie
Ceramist Marie Lautrou of Atelier PMPM made the custom sink and counter out of enameled sandstone and solid oak, respectively.
The green feather wallpaper is another Alexia de Ville creation.
Wallpaper: Tenue de Ville
The green feather wallpaper is another Alexia de Ville creation.
Wallpaper: Tenue de Ville
Next to the bathroom is a small laundry room, which also serves as a changing room. There are coat racks at comfortable heights for both adults and children.
From the entrance of the laundry room, a ladder leads to a second mezzanine, an extension of the one in the children’s room.
Protected by safety nets and equipped with two mattresses, one on top of the other, it can accommodate up to two adults at night. Most often it serves as a play area for the children, almost like a treehouse.
“This project developed perfectly. The owners knew how to express their wishes so that we could design to their needs, so our work was built on a solid foundation. Their trust allowed us to work as we like: doing things right and allowing our clients to discover artisanal work, which is something we hold dear. Each job site is an opportunity for cultural and educational discovery if we are willing to be sensitive enough to see it,” Pellottiero says.
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Apartment at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple in their 30s and their two children
Location: 13th arrondissement of Paris
Size: About 700 square feet (65 square meters); two bedrooms, one bathroom
Designers: Céline Pelcé and Géraud Pellottiero, pictured from left, of Atelier PelPell