The Grand Tour

A 450-Square-Foot Paris Apartment That Feels Like a Country House

The Frères Voirin agency took a dilapidated apartment and transformed it into a bright and warm space

August 19, 2022

In this Paris apartment, the early 20th century building’s wooden structure was revealed and gently stripped to better blend into the oak installations like the parquet floor and the library wall seen here. The two symmetrical doors are positioned in relation to the interior roof lines.

When architects Pierre and François Voirin came on board to renovate an unusual 500-square-foot apartment in Paris’s Charonne-Bastille neighborhood, it was in fact two separate apartments. The spaces were not only small in square footage, but in height too, leaving a claustrophobic feeling even once the two separate apartments were combined. The property’s owner bought it without knowing what might be found above the ceiling, but thankfully it ended up being the space’s saving grace. The false ceiling was removed, five extra feet of height were revealed.

“With its sloping roof, the space on the top floor of this building from around 1900 is beautiful and completely usable,” explain the architects in charge of the renovation. This additional space on the top floor was a pleasant surprise for the brothers, who immediately seized the opportunity to “do something very, very beautiful.” They began by installing skylights to bring in plenty of light and, when it came to the floor plan, restructured the space with a library partition that separates the bedroom and bathroom from the living area.

The architects’ goal was to locate the living room, office, dining room, and kitchen in the rectangular plan as one piece, preserving the beautiful timber structure and other elements such as the original floor tiles. “The distribution was clear to us and the recess in the wall was perfect to accommodate the kitchen and the bathroom, and it also allowed us to create the symmetry with the two doors that immediately define the space," the architects explain. “The library came from the idea of separation. The library wall plays on the idea of a hidden room, of doors within shelves, not hidden but almost.” For them, placing the bedroom, dressing room, and bathroom behind this partition was an eminently architectural move, a study in transitions. This is a key theme of this apartment which recalls the multifunctional furniture designed by architect Pierre Chareau in the 1920s.

Rather than building the bookcase to reach the ceiling, the architects opted to leave space in-between, enclosing glass atop the horizontal beam to allow light to flow between rooms. Structural wood elements and framework via Chabloz. Art books via Library of the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, Switzerland.

When it comes to materials and colors, Pierre and François Voirin remain true to their mantra: “Places give us directions, what's important is to follow them,” they stated. “Here, the sloping roof was our first directive, the timber structure and the framing are a second.” The brothers played on the metaphor of the cabin-chalet, with an abundance of wood and a restrained use of color. The oak species recalls the timber elements, one of their favorite aspects of the space. “It discouraged the use of a more finished wood. We didn’t want anything too smooth or too varnished. Unconsciously, the elements of a project guide us and enlighten us. When we keep them, we must use them, be inspired by them, and build around them.”

For the rest of the home, the two architects know better than anyone that everything is based on details and finishes that enrich the space and bring warmth, like brown armchairs from Drouot, a small yellow lamp found at the Vanves flea market, and the coffee table made of steel and restored marble, both materials sourced in France—serving as a unique and sustainable piece, very much in the spirit of this renewed apartment.

The apartment has little color beyond that from the wood elements and the books in the library. The white paint on the walls and the sloping roof create a country house atmosphere in the middle of Paris. Vintage armchair via Drouot. Small yellow lamp found at the Vanves flea market.

In the middle of the bookcase, a door leads to another room, like a secret passage. Skylights illuminate the room. Library millwork via Doffer.

The bathroom is integrated into the bedroom, separated by a white curtain. The mirrors visually enlarge the space with its elegant mix of materials.

The living room's sloped ceiling creates an intimate atmosphere. Here a new oak floor sits next to original tiles. Coffee table via Carhel Paris.

The original structural elements in wood act as a partition.

This story was originally published by AD France.