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Expanding the possibilities within 40 square meters was an exercise in style for interior designer Thomas Christiaen, tasked with redesigning the property recently acquired by two of his friends, who had been won over by its location.
The couple chose to exile themselves to the countryside, keeping only a pied-à-terre in the capital as they came and went : “All Céline and Henri had left of their former, more spacious apartment was a very large, almost new fridge, which they would have hated to give up,” says the founder of Atelier Philibert, the studio Thomas named after his wire-haired dachshund.
The challenge lay not so much in the harmonious integration of this imposing appliance as in the need to restore panache and cachet to the faded, highly compartmentalized apartment. The one-bedroom apartment, located on the second floor of a 19th century building, had indeed suffered the ravages of time.“Despite its high ceilings and south-facing exposure, the apartment was sorely lacking in light. The kitchen was in its original state, some rooms were poorly used, and the floor plan was convoluted, giving an impression of disproportionate length,” says Thomas.
Expanding, restructuring, reassigning functions: the architect had his work cut out for him. The transformation into a chic cocoon thus included the heavy use of mirrors. “In large surfaces and full-height doors, in the kitchen, bedroom or entrance hall, it allowed for multiple visual perspectives and the movement of light from point to point,” emphasizes Thomas. This effect was amplified by the installation of glazed partitions in two strategic locations: one, in the previously blind shower room, provides a source of natural light; the other, an imposing structure, smooths the flow of light between the south side of the bedroom and the north side of the former bathroom, now converted into a kitchen, in addition to allowing daylight to filter in from the entrance. The remodeled living room and bedroom thus acquire greater functionality, while the optimized shower room takes on the air of a hammam.
Combining designer furniture and noble materials, the once dingy den is transformed into a bubble of comfort right in the heart of Paris.
