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Houzz Tour: A Clothing Studio’s New Life as a Stylish Apartment
A late-1800s loft conversion in France combines contemporary, industrial and colour-block design for a young couple
A young Parisian couple fell in love with this unconventionally sized home, which used to be a clothing workshop. However, after living in the property for a year, they found the space didn’t meet their needs: their bedroom was too small, the three mezzanine spaces were difficult to use, and the bathroom was outdated.
They also desperately needed a home working space, so they tried drawing up 3D plans, but realised they needed the help of a professional. They found interior designer Isabelle Heilmann of interior architecture company Épicène on Houzz and asked her to help them transform their home.
To see more great projects where the homeowner found their professional via Houzz, take a look at our Born on Houzz series.
They also desperately needed a home working space, so they tried drawing up 3D plans, but realised they needed the help of a professional. They found interior designer Isabelle Heilmann of interior architecture company Épicène on Houzz and asked her to help them transform their home.
To see more great projects where the homeowner found their professional via Houzz, take a look at our Born on Houzz series.
Before Photo
This 19th century former clothing workshop in the bustling 11th arrondissement had been turned into a flat by the previous owners.
They had designed the layout around an existing central glass wall to make two main rooms. The first was a dining room and main bedroom on the entrance side, and the second was a living area and teenager’s bedroom (’bureau’ on the floor plan) towards the back of the apartment. They also took advantage of the 3.45m-high ceiling and kept the mezzanine levels that had once held the workshop’s stock.
Find interior designers in your area on Houzz.
They had designed the layout around an existing central glass wall to make two main rooms. The first was a dining room and main bedroom on the entrance side, and the second was a living area and teenager’s bedroom (’bureau’ on the floor plan) towards the back of the apartment. They also took advantage of the 3.45m-high ceiling and kept the mezzanine levels that had once held the workshop’s stock.
Find interior designers in your area on Houzz.
“The space was full of charm and appealed to me straight away,” Isabelle says. However, she agreed that the home needed renovating, since “the owners had charming but uncomfortable living arrangements”.
The clients struggled to rearrange this open space, which was not initially designed for living, and Isabelle sensed why. “They weren’t drastic enough in their changes; they were reluctant to transform everything,” she says.
Her experience and professional planning and 3D rendering tools took things further. “I drew up a floor plan while changing the location of the bedroom. Everything then fell into place like Tetris pieces,” she says.
Reassured by the interior designer’s support, the owners decided to take the plunge and reinvent their home with the design of their dreams. “I focused on improving the spaces in particular, while the homeowners worked on the decor. It was a magical collaboration, a really pleasant experience,” Isabelle says.
The clients struggled to rearrange this open space, which was not initially designed for living, and Isabelle sensed why. “They weren’t drastic enough in their changes; they were reluctant to transform everything,” she says.
Her experience and professional planning and 3D rendering tools took things further. “I drew up a floor plan while changing the location of the bedroom. Everything then fell into place like Tetris pieces,” she says.
Reassured by the interior designer’s support, the owners decided to take the plunge and reinvent their home with the design of their dreams. “I focused on improving the spaces in particular, while the homeowners worked on the decor. It was a magical collaboration, a really pleasant experience,” Isabelle says.
Before Photo
The old kitchen under the mezzanine.
The new L-shaped kitchen remains in the same location by the entrance.
The homeowners shared a folder of decor ideas with Isabelle. Their moodboard revealed a preference for modernism and colourful touches in the style of Le Corbusier. This architectural taste, blended with angular shapes from the property’s industrial past, provided the creative impetus.
“We completely reconfigured the volumes by playing with the different levels and transparent glass partitions to turn the constraints into assets. The apartment’s entire concept is built on varying the geometric shapes and creating a game of cubes in each of the workshop’s spaces,” Isabelle says.
The homeowners shared a folder of decor ideas with Isabelle. Their moodboard revealed a preference for modernism and colourful touches in the style of Le Corbusier. This architectural taste, blended with angular shapes from the property’s industrial past, provided the creative impetus.
“We completely reconfigured the volumes by playing with the different levels and transparent glass partitions to turn the constraints into assets. The apartment’s entire concept is built on varying the geometric shapes and creating a game of cubes in each of the workshop’s spaces,” Isabelle says.
Intentionally subtle, the Ikea base units have birch plywood doors and a marbled Corian work surface in Witch Hazel. Real wood, painted white, has replaced the old linoleum floor.
Before Photo
Here’s the ‘before’ dining area. The homeowners’ original bedroom, which had an internal window, was through the wooden door.
The owners love vintage design and bohemian accents, which steered the project.
The dining room’s architecture is structured around a farmhouse aesthetic and 1950s chairs. They perfectly match the original raw steel glass wall that divides the building in two and gives the home real charm.
The dining room’s architecture is structured around a farmhouse aesthetic and 1950s chairs. They perfectly match the original raw steel glass wall that divides the building in two and gives the home real charm.
Above the entrance, the mezzanine level dates back to the workshop’s construction, serving as a place for storing rolls of fabric. It was naturally preserved as a piece of history and is now a guest room.
Before Photo
This left-hand section of the old entrance mezzanine was integrated into the room as a walk-in wardrobe. It wasn’t very convenient climbing the ladder each day to grab a coat!
The area has now been transformed into a bathroom. Isabelle added a window to the upper portion, so it would benefit from natural light.
The shape of the tiled basin fits in with the project theme of playing with cubes, highlighted by the shaped shower screen.
The shape of the tiled basin fits in with the project theme of playing with cubes, highlighted by the shaped shower screen.
Bold colours – in the form of glass bottles in different shades and a blue ceiling (see previous photo) – invigorate the space.
Under the entrance’s mezzanine, an emerald door hides the toilet. To restore the vintage charm, Isabelle searched for the manufacturer of this antique mixer tap, reminiscent of school bathrooms, which she fitted above a butler’s sink-style basin on brackets.
The pink cement tiles on the wall and stone-effect porcelain floor tiles complete the aesthetic.
The pink cement tiles on the wall and stone-effect porcelain floor tiles complete the aesthetic.
Before Photo
The old bedroom was rather cramped. “You could barely walk around the bed,” Isabelle says.
Before Photo
She removed the fireplace and partition between the former dining room and the bedroom.
The space is now a home office with two workstations. “The apartment needed a dedicated office for the couple, as they hadn’t completely stopped remote working after the end of the pandemic,” Isabelle says.
To separate the office from the dining room while maintaining the beauty of the volumes, Isabelle built a platform. Filled with nooks and hidden storage, it extends the project’s distinctive play on cubes. A new bookcase at the rear makes the space livelier and warmer.
The vintage elements (farmhouse table and industrial pendant light) and bold touches of colour (the lamp and vintage poster) brighten the white enclosure of the walls and painted wood floor.
“The homeowners already had this Snoopy lamp by Achille Castiglioni. This was the starting point for the colourful details dotted around the flat,” Isabelle says.
“The homeowners already had this Snoopy lamp by Achille Castiglioni. This was the starting point for the colourful details dotted around the flat,” Isabelle says.
Now the office space has been moved, the living room has newfound scale. The raw steel and glass wall provides a magnificent backdrop, while the furniture with bohemian accents elevates the space. This includes the corduroy sofa, boucherouite rug, Marcel Breuer chair and 1970s chest of drawers.
The playful swing highlights the bold and creative vision of the renovation. “The suspension bars on the ceiling reflect the home’s industrial past; they were most likely used to hang pieces of cloth,” Isabelle says.
The playful swing highlights the bold and creative vision of the renovation. “The suspension bars on the ceiling reflect the home’s industrial past; they were most likely used to hang pieces of cloth,” Isabelle says.
Opposite the glass wall, the rear of the living room is deliberately bare. “The owners wanted to keep one wall blank to watch films using a projector,” Isabelle says.
The lower section continues the game-of-cubes theme with a stonework unit supporting the speakers for good acoustics in the room. The enclosed housing hides the amplifier, while a slide-out shelf pulls the short focal length projector away from the wall for use.
The lower section continues the game-of-cubes theme with a stonework unit supporting the speakers for good acoustics in the room. The enclosed housing hides the amplifier, while a slide-out shelf pulls the short focal length projector away from the wall for use.
Before Photo
Behind the glass wall adjacent to the living room and old office, this bathroom was hidden away in the flat’s second area with a mezzanine.
Isabelle connected the bathroom to the old office and transformed it into a bedroom and dressing area for the owners. The mezzanine level now has a window to gain more natural, borrowed light.
The homeowners placed industrial-style metal shelves with coloured crates by the yellow bedroom door.
Before Photo
This room (seen through an L-shaped internal window) used to contain a teenager’s bedroom on the mezzanine plus an office space.
The L-shaped window was an important element of the renovation. “It contributed to the home’s new design centred on playing with blocks,” Isabelle says. “The asymmetrical shape adds a lot of charm to the space.”
The room beyond the window has now been redecorated as the owners’ bedroom. The glass wall inspired the design of the brickwork headboard. “This headboard with a modernist feel extends into the living room unit,” Isabelle says.
The headboard also runs along the bedroom wall, doubling as a bedside table and ledge for books, artwork and other items.
Before Photo
The old bathroom connected to the main bedroom is now a walk-in wardrobe.
Opposite the bed, the walk-in wardrobe was also designed to have a geometrical look. “We used a birch plywood base from Ikea for the woodwork as we did in the kitchen. A simpler finish suits the overall look more than oak,” Isabelle says.
The colour-block feel also permeates the room, but with the aim of softening the contrasts. As a result, the door, bedspread and curtains are much gentler than the vivid colours in the living area.
Isabelle was happy with the results. “I consider the project a success, since the entire space is cohesive and natural. You might assume it had always looked like this,” she says.
As for the owners, they were happy they could preserve the soul of the space while radically modernising it to enjoy an exceptional standard of living.
Tell us…
What do you think of this dramatic living space? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
The colour-block feel also permeates the room, but with the aim of softening the contrasts. As a result, the door, bedspread and curtains are much gentler than the vivid colours in the living area.
Isabelle was happy with the results. “I consider the project a success, since the entire space is cohesive and natural. You might assume it had always looked like this,” she says.
As for the owners, they were happy they could preserve the soul of the space while radically modernising it to enjoy an exceptional standard of living.
Tell us…
What do you think of this dramatic living space? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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Who lives here? A couple in their thirties
Location Jean-Pierre Timbaud district, 11th arrondissement, Paris, France
Size 80 sq m
Project year 2021, taking five months and completing in the autumn
Interior designer Isabelle Heilmann of Épicène
Budget €100,000 (around £88,250) – €90,000 (around £79,450) on the renovation, plus €10,000 (around £8,800) on fixtures and fittings
Photos by BCDFstudio