Small Parisian Artist s Workshop Turned Bright Flexible Home 33sqm 355sqft

Our clients are passionate about art and craftsmanship. They wanted a multifunctional space that had all of the comforts of a larger home. Because the client wanted to work on her ceramics in this space, it made sense to take inspiration from the former artist ateliers. My name is Sophie Berck. And I am Pauline Girardot. We are interior architects, friends and business partners. And the founders of our interior architecture studio, Petit Jour Architecture, based in Paris. The apartment is located in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The area is full of theatres and concert venues and many cafes and restaurants. The entrance to the complex is on a busy boulevard. And what were originally artist ateliers dating back to the first half of the 20th century, were split up and transformed into residential lofts of various sizes. Each of the units was empty and unfinished, with only electricity, gas and plumbing connections in place. The apartment looked very bare with few traces of the old artist ateliers. Anything was possible. To design this apartment, we first decided which areas to place against the wall with the least natural light. At the entrance, we placed a slim kitchen area which ends with a breakfast bar. Beside it, we added a set of full height closets. We placed a separate toilet by the entrance and placed a main bathroom at the furthest corner of the apartment. This arrangement allowed for the office, bedroom and lounge area to be next to the garden terrace. We love small things that make a big difference and the light soy portable lamp from Heliograph is exactly that. It looks like a soy sauce fish, but it's a playful and practical lamp made from 75% ocean-bound plastic. It's beautifully made too with USB-C charging, touch control dimming and plastic-free compostable packaging. Thoughtful design from the inside out. And we're giving away five of them. Subscribe to the Never Too Small magazine by December 14th for your chance to win. Good luck! As you walk into the apartment, you are greeted by a small entrance drenched in red-orange paint. Just behind the door, there is a full height storage unit that conceals the electrical panel and serves as shoe storage, a place for the vacuum and the ladder. To help define this area and hide the electrical, we dropped the ceiling height a few centimetres. The bold paint and low ceiling make the rest of the apartment feel larger as you step into the other areas. The living area is very minimalistic and sits beside the large terrace doors, making it feel directly connected to the outside. The mustard sofa sits above the ground to make it appear lighter, while also making it easier to clean. Beside the window, we installed a fenced radiator by Habitat Confort. It has an industrial look that closely matches the spirit of the original space. The low coffee table sits below a red pendant, which we hung lower to emphasise the ceiling height. Our clients had a large painting by Jean Timire. The bold colours in it inform the palette of the rest of the apartment. Both the terrace door and the office windows are framed by two cream blackout curtains. They fully darken this space at night. The office area sits higher than the rest of the apartment, on top of the mezzanine. The mezzanine is made out of pine wood, which matches the industrial spirit of this apartment. We also chose a varnish that made it very scratch resistant, so that the office chair wouldn't have to sit on top of a rug. The desk was positioned to face the rest of the apartment. It feels like its own separate room. One of the legs is actually a drawer unit covered in the same wood as the mezzanine, which makes the desk feel integral to the space. The desk surface and its small backsplash are made from salvaged oak from a train wagon. The desk extends to become one of the shelves where the clients display design objects. The clients needed closed storage to keep their files and documents, so we designed a low cabinet and a smaller upper cabinet. The doors are made of glossy Prussian blue melamine and give this corner more depth. The mezzanine was made exactly to fit the dimensions of a double-sized bed. Thanks to a simple mechanism of rollers and tracks, the bed slides easily without much effort. We played around with the idea of a bunk bed with an office below, but we felt it would break the space up too much and make it look like a teenager's room. Behind the bed, the desk leg with storage becomes the bedside table with a power socket for a lamp. Because the mezzanine is quite tall, there's room below it to put away the bed with the blanket and pillows as they are. Although the clients like cooking, the kitchen is compact and reduced to the essentials. We carefully chose materials that could handle heat and moisture. Just over the countertop, we placed a series of modular string shelves and the countertop is made out of lava stone with a glossy white enamel finish. We chose a sink that closely matches the texture and shine of the countertop and the lower cabinets are made out of an industrial-looking brushed stainless steel. The material has a soft reflection that helps bounce light around in the space without feeling too shiny. Behind the cabinet doors, we concealed the dishwasher, fridge, and trash bins, helping this kitchen look less like an obvious kitchen. Above the two-burner cooktop, we placed a per cabinet. It's a bit shallower than the lower cabinets, so as not to bump your head when cooking. We decided to place the oven microwave on the opposite side of the kitchen. This makes the oven practically invisible from the rest of the apartment and also makes cooking more comfortable than in a traditional linear kitchen. The tiled surface was inspired by Atelier worktables. This was also designed as the perfect spot for the client to work on her ceramics. Beside the table, we placed a sconce to help light the work area. In between the kitchen and bathroom, we placed a custom-made floor-to-ceiling closet. For the doors, we chose H mirrors that reflect the garden and make this place feel larger. The mirrored doors, together with the shiny red tiles of the bar and the brushed stainless steel, make the entire back wall of the apartment somewhat reflective, which was very key to make the entire place feel luminous. The main bathroom is a compact yet functional space since the clients only needed a shower and a washbasin. For the walls, floors and countertop, we used the same tile format as the bar counter. A white ceramic basin sits on top, paired with chrome fixtures that match the rest of the apartment details. Inside the shower, we included a built-in tiled bench providing ample place to sit. Instead of a glass door, we opted for a shower curtain. It's more space-efficient and cost-effective. The wall-to-wall mirror with the integrated light visually expands the small room. The room's light switch was crafted by designer Steven Krufick. The client immediately fell in love with it. Right beside the entrance, we placed a small toilet separated from the main bathroom. It's a simple room with a tankless floating toilet and some hooks behind the door. The large private garden visually extends the apartment when looking from the inside. We wanted the clients to feel encouraged to use it, so we recommended the Studio Caracter and they designed together a new outdoor space. A new deck was installed and a series of plants, flowers and trees. The metal beams are a nice reminder of the history of the building. The floors in here are varnished concrete, which is what the artist ateliers originally had. The materials in this space are durable and easy to maintain and are inspired by how this artist would have used this space in the past. Upgrading these spaces lets us keep the character of places like the former Montmartre atelier, for example, and adapt them for contemporary life. With thoughtful design, even a tiny footprint can offer moments of quiet, a connection to greenery and the quality of a larger home, helping cities remain lively, mixed and affordable. Sign up to our newsletter for subscriber-only content and exclusive offers. Visit nevertosmall.com slash subscribe