Summery vibes abound in this vibrant, sunny five-room apartment
55 m²
Paris, France
65 000 €
Trendy
Two-storey
IMAST ARCHITECTURE
For Sloft+ members only
An apartment that stands as a paradox. Set in the heart of Paris, it stands as a barrier to the hustle and bustle, just a stone's throw from Place Clichy. A family cocoon in the midst of urban density, it stands out above all for its huge ultramarine kitchen island.
In this five-room apartment, where everything had to be redesigned, care was taken to keep massive interventions to a minimum. This cardinal virtue is advocated by Endza Zabounian and Erwan Lanoue, architects and founders of IMAST Architecture, who were in charge of breathing new life into the space. "
The challenge was, first and foremost, to rethink the flow and floorplan, while remaining within a somewhat tight budget, and without major structural work."
The word rationality: the term takes on its full meaning here: the duo set out to make the most of the many nooks and crannies of this 75 m² duplex (55 m² full-height floor space), with its unconventional dimensions. While the property boasts a comfortable ceiling height of 2.70 metres, the attic's is 1.80 metres. Despite this peculiarity, the apartment was an obvious choice for its owner:
"Others would have felt cramped here, but she immediately felt at home," emphasize the project's managers.
"The brightness of the place, its cachet and its geographical location were all elements that seduced her."
The (previously occupied) area under the roof got a major facelift. There, one bedroom opened onto the next, which far from optimal, let alone when you have two children (one of whom is a teenager.) To remedy the problem and provide everyone with privacy, Endza and Erwan decided to add a second staircase to the existing one (which leads to a mini landing, then to the master bedroom.) This turned out to add a playful element, rather than a constraint: hidden in a set of cupboards adjoining the living room, it offers a mischievous twist to the space behind its hidden door. The footprint of the original spiral staircase ws reduced to take up as little space as possible, allowing for the creation of the (very necessary) storage space.
In terms of decoration, Haussmannian tropes have been repainted to give off a "vacation home" spirit. The globetrotting occupants wanted to make implicit references to Majorca, Italy and the Mediterranean, taking the two architects out of their comfort zone (usually neutral shades):
"The idea was to find the right balance in the use of bolder colors," they explain. To save money, the parquet floor was kept and painted Ottoman pink:
"This enhances the intense blue of the kitchen island and gives a real identity and unity to the whole. The whole apartment is structured around these two complementary colors. Elsewhere, rounded corners create a sequence of spaces. Other, softer touches of color highlight an arch, a passageway or a wall."
Do we choose places, or do they choose us? Endza and Erwan have turned an impersonal place into a veritable oasis. A home which, thanks to its view over the rooftops, is connected to the city:
"The perspective from the attic is unobstructed, the rooms are very bright despite the relatively high ceilings and northern exposure. There's room here for everything and everyone."
