This is a Guided Tour of a renovation carried out by Sloft Projets.
As Marie puts it outright: “I could never have invested in a renovated property that didn’t meet my aesthetic expectations. The idea of tearing everything down to make it look the way I wanted would have seemed like an absurd expense!”
Lucky coincidence: the apartment she and her partner Antoine toured back in 2022 has the added bonus of not having been renovated for ages, and of being bathed in light: “this was an absolute prerequisite, even if it meant being blinded,” explains the couple, who for too long had lived in a property overlooking a dark courtyard. Their future home also boasts an impressive linear balcony overlooking a well-known boulevard in Paris’s 11th arrondissement, the preferred route for protest marches in the capital. A quirky merging of two apartments, its huge living room also appealed to them, however shabby it may have been at the time. “We were immediately seduced: first by the potential of this property, then by the profusion of shops in the vicinity… Bars, restaurants, boutiques, an open-air market: everything is within easy reach in this neighborhood where we hadn’t previously considered living.”
Marie and Antoine then decided to call on Sloft Projets and met partner architect Alice Hervé de Ferron, head of māsa studio. Their plan was to turn this 60 m² space, with its breathtaking views, into “a relaxing retreat from the hustle and bustle of Parisian life.” An ever-evolving place that combines functions, too, where the couple will be able to remote-work together without getting in each other’s way: “we needed two separate spaces to take our calls without disturbing each other.” A compact office was therefore set up in the original living room, without unnecessarily encroaching on the living area, as Marie and Antoine love to entertain.
Alice Hervé de Ferron’s aim was to redefine each area of the apartment, adding character and eliminating incongruities such as the access to the balcony, which used to overhang the living space by several dozen centimetres… Now equipped with a pair of symmetrical staircases leading to it, the room has gained in practicality as well as temperament. Cushions and throws are stored on the steps, which serve as occasional seating on festive evenings. Here, light oak gives warmth to the volumes, and an original beam recalls the age-old DNA of the place. Yellow, the couple’s signature color, bounces around at various strategic points. The deliberately compact utility rooms are a concentrate of ingenuity where everything has its place. Opposite the shower room, a laundry room has even been created to accommodate machines, coats, brooms and the cat’s kibble: “I like the idea that we can live in these walls for a long time, making them evolve,” concludes Marie. An urban retreat with a view over the rooftops, this fine exercise in rationalization also leaves room for all kinds of imaginations… A warm cocoon, in short, where optimization never outweighs comfort.