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A 40 m² dual-aspect apartment in Paris
Light and sobriety for a guaranteed element of surprise!
40 m²
Paris, France
45 000 €
Neo-classical
Retro-contemporary
Rive Architectes
For Sloft+ members only
Tom Locatelli is the proud owner of this apartment in the heart of the lively Château Rouge district. But he's also the lucky architect who breathed new life into it. When he visited it with his partner, he was quick to spot its potential.
"What really appealed to us was the east-west layout. On one side we overlooked the building's courtyard, on the other a schoolyard with a large plane tree."
Vegetation is a must in the middle of the capital! But that's not the only feature that charmed the architect.
"Its volume was most atypical. A bow window had been added to the original building, and it was in this alcove that the bathroom was installed.
This gave the architect, co-founder of studio Rive architectes, some crazy ideas for breathing new life into the space. His idea was to reinforce the dual-aspect character of this 40 m² 3-room apartment by breaking down the walls and transforming it into a vast, seamless perimeter.
"In our way of living, we preferred to feel like we were in a large, open space as if we were outdoors. By decompartmentalizing, we could see all the windows from any room, bring in light and give a larger impression of space."
But falling in love with real estate is not without its challenges. To realize this dream, a load-bearing wall had to be demolished. The architect didn't give up hope, and successfully obtained permission. A health crisis, a water leak and a new drain routing later, the apartment finally reveals its new configuration. Sobriety and luminosity are the watchwords. Using bespoke furniture, the couple optimized the space and dispensed with any frills. From the kitchen-dining room to the living room and bedroom, light finds its natural way in. But the architect has not forgotten to delimit the functions of each space. A curtain separates the living room from the bedroom. As for the kitchen and living room, the structure of the former load-bearing wall distinguishes the two volumes. Cleanliness is the order of the day, but that doesn't mean there can't be some surprises. See you in the bow window, where the bathroom is hidden!
"We really had to think about how to partition the bathroom while still allowing light to pass through. So we opted for this curved plexiglass door, which offers privacy and concealment to the space."
Overlooking the kitchen, this unidentified glass volume immediately provokes curiosity. When it opens, a bathroom entirely in waxed concrete is revealed. An ingenious simplicity that is sure to inspire!
Local resident Tom Locatelli (left) greets us with Pablo Defaix, the second brain behind the Rive architectes studio, co-founded with Florian Guetat and Charlie Bodoin.
