This 161 sq. foot attic unit in Montmartre is a far cry from Emily in Paris’s residence with views of the Pantheon. However Hélène Lacombe is an knowledgeable in small areas, and never one to again down from a problem which, on this studio, was creating an actual front room. “It was the sort of residence the place you uncover 4 layers of linoleum one on high of one other,” the architect says of house, which desperately wanted a radical renovation. The objective was to hire it to college students on the lookout for a compact house, which meant making it as purposeful as doable, regardless of the restricted house. On the identical time, Lacombe wished to ensure that the residence, perched on the highest ground of a Nineteenth-century stone constructing, nonetheless harnessed that daylight all through the day.
Mahogany delineates the house
The renovation was targeted on holding prices low with out compromising on aesthetics. Lacombe determined to make use of laminated mahogany because the mission’s signature materials; in her phrases, it is “a darkish wooden that may arise properly to the passage of time and a sequence of tenants.” The panelling strains the small entrance corridor, concealing space for storing and a door to the lavatory (not like many elderly attic items in Paris, this house already had one) which the architect strived to make as sensible as doable utilizing polished concrete and white tiles. “We had so little house within the toilet that we needed to maintain the sink small,” says Hélène Lacombe. “I dressed it up with a gorgeous faucet, Matilda Goad handles, and a Zara Residence mirror.”
Versatile and purposeful
The kitchen can be in mahogany, together with ceramic surfaces, one other particularly sturdy selection. Lacombe prioritized flexibility in her design; the kitchen could be reworked right into a dressing room, whereas a bench seat and a bookcase lengthen off of 1 facet. Utilizing little or no ground house, she supplied the house with all of the capabilities of a “actual” residence. “The thought was to have the whole lot you want at your fingertips because of customized millwork,” she explains. “I wished to keep away from having an excessive amount of furnishings in a small house that may’t accommodate it.” Among the many few items of furnishings she launched into the residence are the Bureau Benjamin x Monoprix stool (which can be utilized as a seat, espresso desk, or facet desk.) Equally, Muller Van Severen’s sideboard on wheels could be moved across the residence as wanted, and the couch turns into a mattress when required.
