NEVER TOO SMALL: Bespoke Airy Paris Small Apartment, 47sqm/505sqft

Pre-order our second book here: https://www.nts-store.com/collections/books-and-publications/products/never-too-small-vol-2-reinventing-small-space-living

Set in the lively Goutte d’Or district of Paris, this small heritage apartment long left unrenovated has been redesigned by Ovo Studio with a 70’s twist, by taking into account the colours and materials of the client’s existing furniture for the overall design of the apartment. Originally made up of tightly enclosed spaces, a request to remove a kitchen wall resulted in the home’s layout being completely redesigned. Ovo Studio opened the kitchen to the rest of the living/dining space, as well as bringing the bathroom itself into the bedroom space while still carving out a dedicated but small room for the toilet. Enhanced by clever new storage solutions and low-lying furniture throughout as well as consistent materials and colour palettes, future adaptability has been prioritised for its young owner.

#smallapartment #architecture #interiordesign

Ep: 158
Project Name: Panama Apartment
Architect: https://www.ovostudioarchi.com/bertille-bordja

Produced by New Mac Video Agency
Creator: Colin Chee
Director: Nam Tran
Cinematographer: Matthieu Torres & Rem Burger
Producer: Lindsay Barnard
Editor: Sebastian Tibbs
Music: Late Night, Instrumental Version by Kyle Cox & Beholding, Instrumental Version by Marshall Usinger from Artlist.io

We were inspired by the client’s vintage furniture, such as the smoked USM cabinet, Togo sofa and her orange Artemide lamp. We took into account the colors and materials in order to create a cohesive space. The idea of our design was to create balance between function, and a clear and flexible space

So the client can rearrange as her life changes. My office especially work on the existing buildings because I love all the materials, and I think it’s important to have a connection with the past. The apartment is in a very large neo-Haussmannian condominium built at the beginning of the 20th century.

It’s located in a popular district in Paris, called Goutte d’Or. It’s a very lively district. My name is Bertille Bordja. I’m an architect, founder of Ovo Studio in Paris. The client is a young professional working with startups and this is her first home. she initially hired me

To help remove a load bearing beam in the kitchen, but we ended up renovating the whole apartment The apartment had not been renovated in a long time. There was an enclosed kitchen and an open living and dining area, a bedroom at the end of the hallway and a small and dark bathroom.

The client’s first request was to remove the walls around the kitchen and open it up to the living area. We also remove the walls around the bathroom and created a new toilet and a new entrance to the larger bathroom. So the door to the bedroom was removed

And allowed more light to enter the bathroom. Immediately, when you enter the apartment, you can see part of the kitchen. There is a tall closet for coats and shoes and other items, and we hid the electrical cabinets with a curtain in order to have a cozy entrance.

After removing the walls around the kitchen, We were able to increase the size of the kitchen. The kitchen cabinets are oak with polished concrete for the countertop. The storage units hides the fridge, washing machine and the lots of storage for the kitchen. And there is a water boiler hidden behind a hidden wall.

Because the kitchen is a part of the living room, we wanted the kitchen to have a clean and open look. This is why we chose not to have cabinets above the kitchen counter. this also meant we couldn’t have a traditional range hood.

So the induction cooktop we chose actually has an extraction fan built in. We chose to use murals for the splashback because they are easy to clean while also reflecting the surrounding space. The kitchen cabinets and the countertop seamlessly transitions into a large

Oak wall storage unit. To taper off the end of the kitchen storage units, we added a curved front to wrap around the existing beam. It’s softens the space and is a nice contrast to the flat lines of the joinery in the living room. We left the bare metal beam

To remind us of its connection with the past. We love this link between the structural and decorative elements. The dining area has a generous dining table that can fit six people. As it is in the open space to the living room It allows guests to interact between the two spaces.

The living room has two large windows, which brings in a lot of natural light. We designed the space to be fluid so that the client can move things around and rearrange it to suit her needs. This is also why the Togo sofas are great as they are very easy to move.

And because of the low profile, it also gives the small living room feeling more spacious. We added floating shelves on either side of the old fireplace, which was removed before the client arrived. One of the walls we left it blank so the client can use a projector to watch movies.

We extended the storage closer at the entrance to wrap around the bottom of the living area. The color of the storage is the same as the kitchen countertop. It also can be used as a bench or surface to sit on and display artwork and plants.

The toilet uses a pocket door to maximize the space. This allowed us to add a small wash basin in the corner and the square orange tiles gives some warmth to the toilet room and the seventies feeling. We created a new en suite bathroom. It makes the bedroom feel a lot bigger.

The floor and walls in the bathroom are polished concrete. They are the same materials we use in the kitchen. We keep the bathroom simple. There is a shower with a niche for toiletries and a white vanity with a terrazzo basin. The bedroom is at the far end of the apartment,

And we keep the original closet, but we upgraded the closet doors using secondhand fabric and frames. The fabric can really add some soft touch to the bedroom. For the bedroom We design a bed head with a niche on both sides to act like bedside table. So the approach to design small spaces

Is to be very personalized and to be a good listener There no one set of rules that we apply to everyone. So it is important to understand their lifestyle and needs. Thanks for watching. And if you’re an architect or designer with a project, we could feature, please share it with us at NeverTooSmall.com/submissions