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In the 15ᵉ arrondissement of Paris, a stone’s throw from the quays of the Seine and in the reassuring shadow of the Eiffel Tower, a small house at the back of a courtyard hides a well-kept secret. This is where architect and designer Nathalie Gilbert, founder of Nuée Architecture and Nuée Edition, has set up her pied-à-terre: “It’s my Parisian apartment, my agency and a showroom all rolled into one,” she sums up with a smile.
But before it became the cocoon it is today, the space resembled anything but. “It was a run-down, dark apartment that hadn’t been inhabited in a long time. Honestly, it was hard to see the potential,” she admits. No wonder: 28 square meters of floor space, a poorly-placed load-bearing structure that compartmentalized the space, a cumbersome fireplace, an abandoned courtyard, bars on the windows, no heating… Enough to discourage even the most daring!
And yet, the architect took the time to observe, analyze and plan. She noticed the through light, the triple orientation, the possibility of enlarging the openings and imagining direct access to the courtyard, which was transformed into a terrace. As a bonus there was a 12-square-meter cellar directly underneath, and the secret hope that one day she’d be able to expand her territory by buying out the other apartments in the house. “When I told people around me that I was buying this property, everyone said it was insane,” she laughs. But this madness was only too carefully thought out. Fast forward to today, and the transformation is total. Partitions were removed, and the load-bearing structure was replaced by an elegant beam-and-post metal structure complement with a load-bearing structure in the basement. The windows were generously enlarged, a French window was added on the courtyard side, and the cellar was freed from its storage function.
Inside, the layout has been finely redesigned. The former kitchen becomes a shower room, the kitchen moves along the living room following the removal of the chimney flue, and a discreet glazed partition creates a bedroom without isolating it: “It allows you to take advantage of the overall volume of the apartment while preserving the privacy of the bed,” explains Nathalie. A large wardrobe in oiled oak structures the night space, with its niche providing depth and relief.
The result is a space that perfectly reflects Nuée Architecture’s philosophy: noble materials (oak, stone, marble) a clear understanding of volumes, and subtle details that reveal themselves as the visit unfolds: “I’m always amused by the reactions when people discover this place. First the ‘wow’ effect of the kitchen marble combined with the dark oak, then the growing curiosity, as if they were discovering a treasure.” And some compliments leave more of an impression than others: “Someone said to me: ‘ Congratulations on your ‘tiny house,’ it’s cozy, welcoming, well done, a study of space. It doesn’t matter how big it is. It’s a real success. No unnecessary expenses, everything is just right. If I had to pick one adjective, I’d say ‘tender’.” A description that particularly appeals to the architect: “It’s exactly what I’m looking for in my projects. Precision, charm and a little poetry.”
