A magazine dedicated to compact interiors

Emma and Raphaël's vintage apartment 55 m² Paris, France Contemporary classic Retro-contemporary Audrey & Gabrielle

This Home Tour is from Sloft Edition 02.

The first time he visited this duplex apartment spread out over the top two floors of an 18^th century building on Rue de la Banque in Paris’ 2nd arrondissement, Raphaël wasn’t exactly impressed. Co-founder of the L’appartement d’Eugène real estate agency, he shares his life with Emma, who works as a chef. The two of them were "passively apartment hunting, looking for an opportunity really; this is what we, in the real estate business, call being in a ‘sniper position’," explains Raphaël.

But the space’s 55 m² of usable surface area didn’t immediately win over this elite marksman, who had plenty of experience under his belt: "I didn’t like it at all. It wasn’t in ruins per se, but it was very outdated. Upstairs, there was a bay window blocked by a wooden panel," he recalls. "Originally, this neighborhood wasn’t even on my list." Despite everything, he visited the apartment a second time with his business partner, who was able to see the duplex’s potential. The original layout, with the living room and kitchenette on the lower floor and the bathroom and bedroom on the mezzanine level, definitely didn’t fit with the couple’s lifestyle. The space felt dark and the fittings were out of date. But the exposed solid oak beams and double-height ceilings had plenty of potential, while upstairs, a lovely surprise was hidden behind the wooden panel: a small, west-facing terrace. Overlooking the glass ceiling of the famous Galerie Vivienne, the Paris Opera and Sacré-Cœur, the views were simply breathtaking. That’s the moment everything clicked into place for Raphaël: "I realized I needed to make an offer."

Although the couple initially collaborated with the Audrey & Gabrielle interior designer studio, whose expertise proved especially useful when came the time to add three skylights to the apartment’s mezzanine, Emma and Raphaël rapidly took over the design process. "We were spending all of our time on Pinterest or reading home decor magazines. We therefore had an extremely precise idea of what we wanted." And what they wanted was a welcoming space for hosting apéro—the art of having friends over for drinks—, where their heirloom and vintage pieces could take center stage. When they aren’t having friends over for dinner, the couple spend their free time at the Saint-Ouen flea market. "I don’t actually think we needed help on this project," says the real estate agent who, thanks to his professional contacts, had no trouble finding skilled artisans. After six months of renovations, the duplex began expressing its full potential as a warm, light-filled, authentic space. Emma and Raphaël really didn’t need the help after all.