A magazine dedicated to compact interiors

Julie and Félix breath new life into their apartment 69 m² Paris, France Radically minimal Augure Studio

This Guided Tour is from Sloft Edition 03

Step inside a Parisian apartment with exposed silvery concrete walls and 70s-inspired yellow, blue, red, and purple touches. But it all started with the color green… or more precisely the lack thereof: “We used to live in the 18th arrondissement,” Julie remembers. “But we decided to leave because green areas are fundamental for us, especially after repeated lockdowns – and a baby on the way.”

Rather than a specific location, the young couple was looking for a particular type of apartment: “buildings from the 1960s and 70s are generally more thoughtfully planned out. And while being more functional, they are also less in demand, so they are more affordable. Our only requirements were to have two bedrooms, a spacious living room and an office space, because we work from home.” Julie is an associate at Augure Studio – an architecture firm launched in 2021 – and Félix is a teacher and photographer. They finally found their nest in the 20th arrondissement: a 9th-floor, 69-square-meter apartment overlooking Place des Fêtes. “We were immediately dazzled by the panoramic view and the natural light that pours in. The former owner inherited the place from his parents, so it was left in its original 70s glory!”

“We signed the sale agreement a month before the birth of our son Léonard, so we were very short on time. We sketched out the project before he was born, but the final design came after. It was not an easy journey!” For Julie, it all starts from the ground up: “the floor plan is key to ensuring a functional space and figuring out the perspectives. Only once that’s done can we move on to the look and feel and choose the materials, in keeping with the building’s history, structure and intrinsic qualities.” The spirit of the place was revived by revealing the original concrete floors, ceiling and walls. “We then added some 70s references through the color palette, materials, furnishings and lighting.” An authentic, lively and colorful result was thus achieved.