Houzz Tour: Studio Morphs Into a 1-Bedroom Apartment
A clothes lover’s home near Paris gets a separate sleep space, a dressing room and Scandinavian-inspired decor
The owner of this apartment in the Parisian suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine searched for a year before she finally found the home of her dreams: a studio on the fifth floor of a 1960s building. She was spellbound by its location, brightness, oak flooring and open views.
Though the apartment was in fairly good condition, it unfortunately didn’t meet several of her nonnegotiable requirements. The first was a bedroom separated from the rest of the space. The second was a large dressing room for storing her clothes and shoes. Finally, this diehard bargain hunter and artist longed for a cozy interior that would reflect her personality. The creativity of interior design duo Anne Fath and Julia Schmit won her over, and she entrusted the renovation to them.
Though the apartment was in fairly good condition, it unfortunately didn’t meet several of her nonnegotiable requirements. The first was a bedroom separated from the rest of the space. The second was a large dressing room for storing her clothes and shoes. Finally, this diehard bargain hunter and artist longed for a cozy interior that would reflect her personality. The creativity of interior design duo Anne Fath and Julia Schmit won her over, and she entrusted the renovation to them.
Before. This is what the entrance to the studio looked like when Fath and Schmit saw it on their first visit. With white walls, vinyl flooring and outdated wiring, the apartment really needed a makeover.
Before. Just opposite the front door is the bathroom, which was the area most affected by the renovation. This 86-square-foot room originally had a bathtub, toilet, bidet and sink. It was disproportionally large for the small square footage of the studio as a whole.
Before. The designers seized the opportunity to split the bathroom and gain more space for the bedroom and dressing room. They put a shower in the bathroom and turned an existing closet by the entrance into a separate toilet room.
The owner wanted the designers to create a small, detached bedroom next to the living room. Since all the studio’s windows are on the same side, they opted for a glass partition to pull some of that light into the room.
“[The owner] is keen on art and design. Rather than proposing the kind of glass wall you see everywhere nowadays, we designed an original model, inspired by Mondrian’s paintings,” Fath says. The glass wall cost about $5,000 of the $40,000 total budget.
“[The owner] is keen on art and design. Rather than proposing the kind of glass wall you see everywhere nowadays, we designed an original model, inspired by Mondrian’s paintings,” Fath says. The glass wall cost about $5,000 of the $40,000 total budget.
This is the other side of the partition shown in the third photo. The designers shaped this wall on both sides so that sections of wall on one side correspond to niches on the other. On the bedroom side, the niches make up for the lack of nightstands.
A midnight blue accent wall gives the room a sense of depth and perspective when seen from the living room. An oak shelf with three embedded mirrors, created by the designers, stands out in its center. The handira, or Moroccan wedding blanket, the owner threw on the bed adds a soft, cozy feel. These textiles are hand-woven by the women of the Atlas Mountains and worn by Berber brides on their wedding day.
Blue paint: Minuit, Sarah Lavoine collection, Ressource
A midnight blue accent wall gives the room a sense of depth and perspective when seen from the living room. An oak shelf with three embedded mirrors, created by the designers, stands out in its center. The handira, or Moroccan wedding blanket, the owner threw on the bed adds a soft, cozy feel. These textiles are hand-woven by the women of the Atlas Mountains and worn by Berber brides on their wedding day.
Blue paint: Minuit, Sarah Lavoine collection, Ressource
Before. The owner fell in love with the living room because of its glass sliding door, which opens onto a small balcony. To its left, a half-height partition divided the kitchen from the living room, creating a small bar counter.
After. The designers kept the kitchen in the same place but completely renovated it to give it a new look. The main transformation was the conversion of the bar counter into a kitchen peninsula. Not only did it give the kitchen more counter space and a modern appearance, but it also provided the owner with a dining table and work area.
The larger countertop also creates more space for cooking, and there is plenty of storage space to the sides. It’s made of a matte laminate that matches the color of the porcelain tile floor.
Ikea cabinets with off-white fronts replaced the original cabinetry.
The owner displays her collection of vases and tableware — things she particularly likes to bargain-hunt for — on the two open folded-metal shelving units.
Countertop: Lapeyre; porcelain stoneware floor tile: Leroy Merlin
Ikea cabinets with off-white fronts replaced the original cabinetry.
The owner displays her collection of vases and tableware — things she particularly likes to bargain-hunt for — on the two open folded-metal shelving units.
Countertop: Lapeyre; porcelain stoneware floor tile: Leroy Merlin
The tall kitchen cabinet holds a traditional oven, a microwave at the top and a fridge-freezer at the bottom.
Pendant lights: La Redoute; shop pendant lighting
Pendant lights: La Redoute; shop pendant lighting
In the living room, the owner focused her attention on the decor. “We were dealing with a design enthusiast who already had a lot of things from her previous home. We only added a few touches,” Fath says.
The design duo lived up to its reputation with a masterful application of hygge, the Danish philosophy of decorating for intimate, welcoming, convivial and restorative interiors.
The design duo lived up to its reputation with a masterful application of hygge, the Danish philosophy of decorating for intimate, welcoming, convivial and restorative interiors.
“[The owner] loves black and white, the colors she often wears. We started from this classic palette and added natural fibers for their warm color,” Fath says.
Sofa, floor lamp and furry throw cover: Ikea; wool pouf: La Redoute; browse floor pillows and poufs
Sofa, floor lamp and furry throw cover: Ikea; wool pouf: La Redoute; browse floor pillows and poufs
To ensure that the contrasts wouldn’t be too stark, the designers used shades of gray, beige and patterns. Everything from the pillows on the sofa to the coffee table top was carefully selected to create this final setup, which now feels like the obvious choice.
The mixture of materials is another key to the success of the refined and relaxed interior. Wood and openwork metal echo the steel frame of the glass wall.
Likewise, the arrangement of the pieces is visually dynamic, with the vertical lamp and mirror balancing the horizontal coffee table and sofa. This is a good decor tip to keep in mind.
Likewise, the arrangement of the pieces is visually dynamic, with the vertical lamp and mirror balancing the horizontal coffee table and sofa. This is a good decor tip to keep in mind.
The designers also refreshed the balcony, which now serves as an extension of the interior. It visually enlarges the living room and partially makes up for the space lost to the bedroom. A slatted floor picks up on the feel of the interior flooring. A wicker screen adds a natural touch and some privacy.
It took the designers 2½ months to completely redesign the space, which was completed last year. The $40,000 budget included the complete revamp of the electrical, heating and plumbing systems in addition to the functional and decorative remodel. Moreover, a dropped ceiling was installed throughout the apartment to allow for soundproofing and to conceal wiring from light fixtures. Finally, new channels were created in the wall to hide wires.
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Apartment at a Glance
Who lives here: A fashion-loving young woman
Location: Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Size: 398 square feet (37 square meters)
Designers: Anne Fath and Julia Schmit of June
“A door had separated the original entrance from the studio,” Fath says. “We opened the entrance up to the living room while adding some drama. To do this, we decided to create a surprise: We wanted something going on at the entrance, hence the midnight blue paint. This dark entryway calls out to those who enter, attracting them irresistibly towards the light and the core of the apartment.”
Blue paint: Minuit, Sarah Lavoine collection, Ressource