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Houzz Tour: A Genius Design Turns a Bare Room into a Stylish Home
A dark, abandoned concierge’s lodge gets a Scandi update and a clever new layout that brings in the light
The ‘after’ of this flat in Paris’s 13th arrondissement is miles away from its original dilapidated state. The couple who own it purchased the former concierge’s lodge as an investment property, and turned to Margaux Carnevali of Neva Architecture Intérieure to manage a complete renovation. They had spotted her on social networks and in two previous Houzz stories, which featured properties that had presented similar challenges to their own.
Margaux, who says she likes updating small spaces most of all, made clever use of the double height of the room to pack more into the space. She also came up with an ingenious L-shaped layout that makes the studio look much larger than its 19 sq m.
Margaux, who says she likes updating small spaces most of all, made clever use of the double height of the room to pack more into the space. She also came up with an ingenious L-shaped layout that makes the studio look much larger than its 19 sq m.
Plan before the renovation.
This old concierge’s lodge, on the ground floor of a historic building, measures 19 sq m and is blessed with a 3.5m-high ceiling. The flat was dark despite its two large windows to the courtyard, as one of the windows was enclosed in a ‘box’ – probably the remnants of a kitchen or bathroom.
The property was completely abandoned for two decades, but it was “tidy,” as Margaux puts it, referring to its regular layout rather than its deplorable state.
This old concierge’s lodge, on the ground floor of a historic building, measures 19 sq m and is blessed with a 3.5m-high ceiling. The flat was dark despite its two large windows to the courtyard, as one of the windows was enclosed in a ‘box’ – probably the remnants of a kitchen or bathroom.
The property was completely abandoned for two decades, but it was “tidy,” as Margaux puts it, referring to its regular layout rather than its deplorable state.
Layout after the renovation, with a visualisation of the mezzanine.
At 3.5m, the very high ceiling was the key to making the most of the space. It made it possible to create a bedroom corner on a mezzanine, making the studio feel like a one-bed flat. It also meant the tenants don’t have to fold and unfold a sleeper sofa every day.
Margaux sited it at the entrance so it would neither overwhelm the living room nor block the light coming in from the windows.
At 3.5m, the very high ceiling was the key to making the most of the space. It made it possible to create a bedroom corner on a mezzanine, making the studio feel like a one-bed flat. It also meant the tenants don’t have to fold and unfold a sleeper sofa every day.
Margaux sited it at the entrance so it would neither overwhelm the living room nor block the light coming in from the windows.
Layout after the renovation, without the mezzanine.
The challenge was to find a way to fit the bathroom and the kitchen in a single line with the entrance, where the plumbing was located. Margaux was initially doubtful that she’d be able to fit the bathroom under the mezzanine, as she’d originally planned.
“If it were insufficiently high for a shower, we’d have had to install the kitchen under the mezzanine,” she says. “The layout would have been much less successful, because it would have meant partitioning the bathroom off on the window side and losing the view and light.”
The challenge was to find a way to fit the bathroom and the kitchen in a single line with the entrance, where the plumbing was located. Margaux was initially doubtful that she’d be able to fit the bathroom under the mezzanine, as she’d originally planned.
“If it were insufficiently high for a shower, we’d have had to install the kitchen under the mezzanine,” she says. “The layout would have been much less successful, because it would have meant partitioning the bathroom off on the window side and losing the view and light.”
After some careful calculation, it proved possible to install a mezzanine over a 1.4 sq m, 2.1m-high ‘bathroom box’.
“We created a mezzanine out of wood, with a minimal floor thickness of 10cm, which extends over the entrance. With a 15cm-thick mattress, there’s still a metre above the bed, which is enough to sit up comfortably,” Margaux says.
With a rod and some shelves, Margaux transformed the original cupboard at the entrance into a wardrobe. A linen curtain hides it from view. She proposed this solution because she likes “the gesture of opening a curtain, and it softens the angular entrance and adds an airy quality”.
The mezzanine overhead aligns perfectly with the wardrobe. The alcove area at the top has been set up with alternating open and closed storage. “This serves as a bedside table and storage for bedding, among other things,” she says.
“We created a mezzanine out of wood, with a minimal floor thickness of 10cm, which extends over the entrance. With a 15cm-thick mattress, there’s still a metre above the bed, which is enough to sit up comfortably,” Margaux says.
With a rod and some shelves, Margaux transformed the original cupboard at the entrance into a wardrobe. A linen curtain hides it from view. She proposed this solution because she likes “the gesture of opening a curtain, and it softens the angular entrance and adds an airy quality”.
The mezzanine overhead aligns perfectly with the wardrobe. The alcove area at the top has been set up with alternating open and closed storage. “This serves as a bedside table and storage for bedding, among other things,” she says.
Margaux removed the partition that closed off what is now the kitchen in order to bring the second window back into the living room. This completely altered the lighting and introduced a lovely view of the courtyard, visually expanding the space.
To the right of the new bathroom, the kitchen takes up less than 160cm of width. It’s in the perfect spot, so that it, like the bedroom, would not be visible from the entrance.
Feeling inspired? Find a local interior designer or architect today.
To the right of the new bathroom, the kitchen takes up less than 160cm of width. It’s in the perfect spot, so that it, like the bedroom, would not be visible from the entrance.
Feeling inspired? Find a local interior designer or architect today.
Under the mezzanine, the bathroom is a model of efficiency. In spite of its limited dimensions – at 140 sq cm, with a 210cm ceiling height – Margaux succeeded in finding room for a wall-hung toilet with storage above, a shower, a real basin and a washing machine.
To fit everything in, she used a combination as rare as it is original: a shallow washing machine with a basin on top. “Optimising a space doesn’t mean sending its occupants to do their laundry at the laundrette. I spotted this solution online and searched extensively for a commercial version of this basin,” she says.
She also installed an 80cm-wide shower cubicle with sliding doors. “Its semi-circular shape frees up space and facilitates circulation in this small room,” she says.
Not visible in this photo is a clever towel warmer, which unfolds at the top to serve as a clothes line.
To fit everything in, she used a combination as rare as it is original: a shallow washing machine with a basin on top. “Optimising a space doesn’t mean sending its occupants to do their laundry at the laundrette. I spotted this solution online and searched extensively for a commercial version of this basin,” she says.
She also installed an 80cm-wide shower cubicle with sliding doors. “Its semi-circular shape frees up space and facilitates circulation in this small room,” she says.
Not visible in this photo is a clever towel warmer, which unfolds at the top to serve as a clothes line.
The new kitchen in white, wood and sage green takes advantage of this discreet but well-lit spot behind the bathroom and mezzanine. Three base cabinets fit lots of function into its limited square metres: the fridge, the corner unit – which contains the sink – and the unit with the cooker.
Margaux was able to fall back on one of her favourite tricks for the last time: using clever combined appliances – in this case, the combined oven-dishwasher, and the combined microwave-extractor. She’s used these in her projects for a long time. “They are terrific for making the most of a space, but unfortunately they have since been taken out of production by the manufacturers, Candy and Whirlpool,” she says.
The shallow top cabinets look as if they go up all the way to the ceiling. In reality, the boiler is fitted on its side in the uppermost cupboards. It can only be accessed via a ladder.
Margaux was able to fall back on one of her favourite tricks for the last time: using clever combined appliances – in this case, the combined oven-dishwasher, and the combined microwave-extractor. She’s used these in her projects for a long time. “They are terrific for making the most of a space, but unfortunately they have since been taken out of production by the manufacturers, Candy and Whirlpool,” she says.
The shallow top cabinets look as if they go up all the way to the ceiling. In reality, the boiler is fitted on its side in the uppermost cupboards. It can only be accessed via a ladder.
The décor in the flat was driven by the owners’ wishes, and the husband’s Scandinavian background. Though she’s not a huge fan of the style, Margaux took inspiration from Nordic décor but recreated it, as she puts it, “à la Margaux”.
Inspired by the two large windows to the lush courtyard, she was also guided by the theme of ‘the countryside in Paris’. It’s in this spirit that she added enamel containers filled with herbs.
Inspired by the two large windows to the lush courtyard, she was also guided by the theme of ‘the countryside in Paris’. It’s in this spirit that she added enamel containers filled with herbs.
Thanks to the space-saving layout that places the bathroom and the mezzanine in one strip by the entrance, the living room – comprising the dining corner and the sofa area – occupies almost 12 sq m, a nearly impossible feat in a 19 sq m flat.
Margaux worked to differentiate the zones through the flooring and wall finishes. The kitchen is marked by a ‘country-style’ floor of cement tiles, while the living area has wood flooring. “In reality, we put in wood-look ceramic tiles, as the owner was afraid that solid wood wouldn’t last over time,” she says. “I prefer wood, because it’s warmer underfoot, but visually this finish does the trick perfectly.”
Margaux worked to differentiate the zones through the flooring and wall finishes. The kitchen is marked by a ‘country-style’ floor of cement tiles, while the living area has wood flooring. “In reality, we put in wood-look ceramic tiles, as the owner was afraid that solid wood wouldn’t last over time,” she says. “I prefer wood, because it’s warmer underfoot, but visually this finish does the trick perfectly.”
Now, a dining corner is sited near the window and looks out onto the tree-lined courtyard. Margaux zoned it with wallpaper and (artificial) plants.
“It’s not easy to find a bright, not too patterned wallpaper. I chose this one in the Scandinavian spirit, with its silver geometric pattern, as it recalled the wire trellises that are used to train plants in the countryside.”
“It’s not easy to find a bright, not too patterned wallpaper. I chose this one in the Scandinavian spirit, with its silver geometric pattern, as it recalled the wire trellises that are used to train plants in the countryside.”
Under the new living room window is the room’s sole radiator, an efficient electric model.
Margaux says her final choice of touches of blue/green colour was inspired by the shade she found on the walls of the concierge’s lodge. She sees this colour as very Parisian. “It’s the shade of the metro tickets when I was little,” she says.
This resulted in particular in the green background of the bedroom alcove (see photos above), which draws the eye and brings a feeling of freshness to the interior.
This resulted in particular in the green background of the bedroom alcove (see photos above), which draws the eye and brings a feeling of freshness to the interior.
The living room area is sparse, but it has the most important features: the sofa, a nest of tables, a wall-mounted TV unit, a mirror that suggests an extra window, and a few subtle décor details.
Margaux used a light fixture with a 1m span to mark off the living area. It’s one of the black, wrought-iron details that bring contrast and energy to the overall design. Softening the flat’s angular aspect, its rounded form brings a softness that’s picked up by the coffee tables, the dining table and chairs, and the kitchen sink.
The ladder to the mezzanine is shop-bought, but adapted so it wouldn’t block the passageway, then painted and affixed by the carpenter.
The ladder to the mezzanine is shop-bought, but adapted so it wouldn’t block the passageway, then painted and affixed by the carpenter.
Left wallpaper-free, the area behind the sofa visually separates the living room from the dining area. Two picture shelves were accessorised with plants framed in wood and black metal frames, in order to pull in the ‘modern countryside’ theme again.
The large light fixture hangs high enough to underscore the beautiful ceiling height. The lamp goes a long way to highlighting the living area, and brings lightness and graphic lines into the space.
Margaux takes a lot of pleasure in optimising small spaces to the point where it’s difficult to find anything missing. “I love renovating small spaces, because it’s faster and requires more inventiveness,” she says.
Tell us…
What do you like about this ingenious design? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Margaux takes a lot of pleasure in optimising small spaces to the point where it’s difficult to find anything missing. “I love renovating small spaces, because it’s faster and requires more inventiveness,” she says.
Tell us…
What do you like about this ingenious design? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Who lives here? Tenants
Location Quartier Nationale, 13th arrondissement, Paris, France
Size 19 sq m
Completion date February 2020
Project duration Four months
Interior designer Margaux Carnevali of Neva Architecture Intérieure
Budget €45,000 (approx £38,000) including furniture and décor; excluding fees
Photos by Agathe Tissier