Houzz Tour: Paris Apartment Has a Touch of Country
A designer takes on the challenge of squeezing a bedroom in a student’s studio. See her tricks in this before-and-after
When this 19-year-old moved to Paris from elsewhere in France, her parents wanted to give her the best possible surroundings by remodeling a studio apartment they own in the center of the capital. The apartment, which they had rented out, hadn’t been renovated in 25 years and needed a complete revamp.
In early 2018, the owners contacted several interior designers with an ambitious goal: They wanted to fit all the conveniences of a much larger home into the apartment’s 258 square feet, including a bedroom, a full kitchen, a laundry area, an office, a comfortable bathroom and the storage space necessary to keep the place tidy. They fell for interior designer Aurore Pannier’s proposal as much for its space-optimization tricks as for its fresh country feel.
In early 2018, the owners contacted several interior designers with an ambitious goal: They wanted to fit all the conveniences of a much larger home into the apartment’s 258 square feet, including a bedroom, a full kitchen, a laundry area, an office, a comfortable bathroom and the storage space necessary to keep the place tidy. They fell for interior designer Aurore Pannier’s proposal as much for its space-optimization tricks as for its fresh country feel.
After: Working with general contractor DF Habitat7, Pannier relocated the kitchen to the front of the apartment. “We were able to entertain the idea of moving it because the plumbing could be relocated to the area in front of the front door,” she says.
The project took about four months and cost about $68,000, including labor and furnishings, plus another 10 percent for related fees.
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The project took about four months and cost about $68,000, including labor and furnishings, plus another 10 percent for related fees.
Find an interior designer near you on Houzz
The new U-shaped kitchen maximizes countertop space. “This kitchen was challenging, and the U-shaped layout was the only one that would fit a fridge, washer-dryer, oven, microwave, dishwasher, storage units and a trash can,” Pannier says.
Specifically, the left side of the U is for the refrigerator. The washer-dryer is in the middle next to a combination dishwasher-oven, which has a dishwasher on the bottom and a traditional oven on the top. On the right is a cabinet with a cutlery drawer. Two upper cabinets house the microwave and the range hood. The third is for storage.
Specifically, the left side of the U is for the refrigerator. The washer-dryer is in the middle next to a combination dishwasher-oven, which has a dishwasher on the bottom and a traditional oven on the top. On the right is a cabinet with a cutlery drawer. Two upper cabinets house the microwave and the range hood. The third is for storage.
Pannier still had a trash can to squeeze in and, challenging herself to find someplace besides the middle of the floor, she came up with an unusual solution.
“See the little circle on the right in the countertop? There it is,” she says. “It’s a rubber valve, under which a collar holds a trash bag that makes it possible to conveniently throw away peels and leftovers. The bag is hidden in a space that can be accessed from under the bar counter.”
“See the little circle on the right in the countertop? There it is,” she says. “It’s a rubber valve, under which a collar holds a trash bag that makes it possible to conveniently throw away peels and leftovers. The bag is hidden in a space that can be accessed from under the bar counter.”
You can see the trash hatch on the living room side of the bar counter above the stools. The bar counter is about 57 inches long and about 12 inches deep.
Pannier was really in tune with the student’s decor wishes. “During my first visit, it came to me in a flash when I saw the windows: Even though the apartment is in the middle of Paris, it felt like I was in a country or holiday house. This inspired me to use white … tones and the vegetation theme. The young woman loved it,” she says.
Now the kitchen looks like a “bubble of nature” bathed in sun, she says. The lower cabinets have green laminate doors, and the uppers have glossy white glass fronts. The original terra-cotta floor remains as a valuable vestige of the apartment’s history, but white paint on the beams and walls brightens up the atmosphere.
Bar stools: Tolix; kitchen cabinetry: Leroy Merlin; bamboo pendant light: Bloomingville
Pannier was really in tune with the student’s decor wishes. “During my first visit, it came to me in a flash when I saw the windows: Even though the apartment is in the middle of Paris, it felt like I was in a country or holiday house. This inspired me to use white … tones and the vegetation theme. The young woman loved it,” she says.
Now the kitchen looks like a “bubble of nature” bathed in sun, she says. The lower cabinets have green laminate doors, and the uppers have glossy white glass fronts. The original terra-cotta floor remains as a valuable vestige of the apartment’s history, but white paint on the beams and walls brightens up the atmosphere.
Bar stools: Tolix; kitchen cabinetry: Leroy Merlin; bamboo pendant light: Bloomingville
After: Pannier replaced the shoe cabinet with two tall storage cabinets, one opening toward the front door and the other toward the bathroom door. One part of the closet houses the electricity meter, vacuum cleaner and iron. The 13½-inch-deep part holds folded clothes.
To make the space look bigger and give the owner a chance to check her outfit, these cabinets have mirrors. Another goal of the renovation was to “break the linearity of the space and, for fun, make guests feel a little disoriented in the apartment,” Pannier says. The mirrors provide some interesting double framing that visually rearranges the space by creating new sightlines, especially when the doors are open.
Pannier moved the bathroom partition to accommodate a Scrigno pocket door. The model requires a wall about 4½ inches thick.
The student keeps her computer at a small stationary desk. It’s made from a 27½-by-17½-inch black laminate shelf supported with a Tiptoe leg. A wall sconce lights the corner.
On the left, a custom wall unit in painted MDF provides storage and space for decorative items. The lower part serves as a TV stand, while the closed niches hold the router and the media server, which includes a TV and internet connection.
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The student keeps her computer at a small stationary desk. It’s made from a 27½-by-17½-inch black laminate shelf supported with a Tiptoe leg. A wall sconce lights the corner.
On the left, a custom wall unit in painted MDF provides storage and space for decorative items. The lower part serves as a TV stand, while the closed niches hold the router and the media server, which includes a TV and internet connection.
Shop for wall sconces on Houzz
Illuminated by a white wall and pale gray Moroccan-style tiles, the new bathroom looks much more contemporary. Unfortunately, the picture doesn’t show the bathroom’s fancy terrazzo floor. “The young woman wanted something sober and practical and, especially, a shower with niches,” the designer says.
The 27½-by-39½-inch shower freed up some floor space in the small bathroom. Pannier was even able to add another closet. To maximize inches and create the niches the student requested, the designer had to dig into the building’s service duct.
Pannier also put an extra-flat, 21-gallon water heater above the toilet. The original round water heater had been in the kitchen (see the next photo), an eyesore the clients wanted to get rid of.
Pannier also put an extra-flat, 21-gallon water heater above the toilet. The original round water heater had been in the kitchen (see the next photo), an eyesore the clients wanted to get rid of.
After: On the other side of the glass partition, the bedroom measures about 7½ by 6½ feet. A closet installed on the left side extends with more storage space above the bed and, in this way, forms a frame around it. A botanical wallpaper mural livens up the headboard and offers a beautiful view from the living room.
Placing the second TV was a challenge for the interior designer. “The storage unit [next to the glass partition] forms [about a 23½-inch-wide] wall on the bedroom side, which would have been too narrow to hang a TV and keep it invisible from the living room because of the glass,” Pannier says. “I ended up finding an adjustable arm that can keep the TV in portrait mode on that narrow wall and then flip it into landscape mode at the foot of the bed when she wants to watch it.”
Placing the second TV was a challenge for the interior designer. “The storage unit [next to the glass partition] forms [about a 23½-inch-wide] wall on the bedroom side, which would have been too narrow to hang a TV and keep it invisible from the living room because of the glass,” Pannier says. “I ended up finding an adjustable arm that can keep the TV in portrait mode on that narrow wall and then flip it into landscape mode at the foot of the bed when she wants to watch it.”
After: The two original windows, with frames reminiscent of those in country houses, bring lots of light into the new living area, which is furnished with a couch, an armchair and two coffee tables.
Armchair: AM.PM; coffee tables: La Redoute Intérieurs
Armchair: AM.PM; coffee tables: La Redoute Intérieurs
“As I am a storage maniac. I proposed adding a built-in storage bench, whose seat I had adorned with a jungle-inspired fabric,” Pannier says. To complete the natural decor, an Alocasia plant in a fiber planter stands near a bamboo pendant light, mini succulents and a cactus-shaped vase.
Bamboo pendant light: Bloomingville
Bamboo pendant light: Bloomingville
“Before” floor plan, clockwise from top left: kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom
“It was a very interesting project. The owners had thought a lot about their needs and wanted to hold strictly to their requirements. It forced me to be more creative. In small spaces, it’s a real challenge, and that’s why I particularly like them,” Pannier says.
“It was a very interesting project. The owners had thought a lot about their needs and wanted to hold strictly to their requirements. It forced me to be more creative. In small spaces, it’s a real challenge, and that’s why I particularly like them,” Pannier says.
“After” floor plan, clockwise from top left: bedroom, office, bathroom, entrance, kitchen and living room
As for the student, she is absolutely pleased with her pretty new place.
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As for the student, she is absolutely pleased with her pretty new place.
More on Houzz
Read about other remodeled apartments
Find a pro
Shop for products
Apartment at a Glance
Who lives here: A 19-year-old student
Location: Paris
Size: 258 square feet (24 square meters); one bedroom, one bathroom
Designer: Aurore Pannier of Paris d’intérieur
Before: The apartment is on the mezzanine floor of an old building. It had no load-bearing columns and featured two areas with large windows overlooking interior courtyards. Still, the apartment wasn’t very bright, and the dark beams and terra-cotta floors made it darker still.
Since the student wanted a real sleeping area, Pannier first focused on the apartment layout, a task she particularly likes because optimizing small spaces has been one of her specialties since she started working in interior design six years ago. The kitchen recess at the back of the apartment seemed like the best place for a mini bedroom.