InspirationRenovationReal Estate
InspirationRenovationReal Estate
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Pop spirit and solar energy in 48 m² in Paris

Isabelle Soler's vintage apartment. 48 m² Paris, France 60 000 € Contemporary classic Retro-contemporary Two-bedroom Atelier H4

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Isabelle Soler is originally from Béziers, but if you ask her, she'll tell you she's more Parisian than Béziers-born. I moved to Paris 30 years ago and have spent most of my life here. A former journalist, she spent 20 years working for the French media company TV5 Monde, where she worked on news and reports from abroad, before becoming editor-in-chief. I've evolved a lot and had the opportunity to reinvent myself several times during this experience.. But when a voluntary redundancy opportunity came up, Isabelle didn't hesitate. I wanted one last professional adventure that was different. She then embarked on a career transition. By dint of renovating my own properties and seeing that what I was doing was appealing to those around me, I thought I'd try to make a living out of it. 10 months later, in June 2021, she graduated in Interior Architecture. Time to jump in!

But this is not Isabelle's first attempt at interior designing... She had the chance to practice on her own apartments. Her first one, a charming 55 m² on the 1st floor near Arts et Métiers metro station, turned out to be too dark in the long run. Realizing that she'd never get used to the lack of light, she went in search of a new apartment... on the top floor this time! Which brings us to the one we're about to visit, acquired some 4 years ago on the 6th floor of a building on Place de la Bastille. I remember the ad came out on the 1st of January. I called on January 2nd and the person told me that in fact the ad had been published by mistake, too early. So I was the first to visit it! A godsend. Once there, I realized that there was a lot to do, but it was very light and bright, and just a stone's throw from my son's father. And above all, I saw the windows overlooking the Port de l'Arsenal, the Génie de la Bastille... It was love at first sight. The real estate agent offered to sell the attic and part of the hallway, creating a mezzanine for Isabelle's bedroom. Jackpot! Iwanted to find a property to renovate. At first, I called in an architect friend of mine, but in the end it wasn't for me. I already had an idea in my head of what the apartment could look like, so I ended up drawing up the plans myself, bringing in some modernity and aesthetics.

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One of Isabelle’s choices was to create a white box, from wall to ceiling, to reinforce the feeling of space. A kind of jewel box where the eye is not stopped by any structural obstacle. To vamp things up, she adds pops of color, with red trinkets here, a yellow Paulin armchair there… Most of these nuggets were found on the street. I’ve been hunting for a very long time. I’m quite obsessed with eras from the 50s to the 70s. It’s an addiction you quickly feel when you enter her home… Wanna come in and see?