Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: A Small Flat is Given a Bold Vintage Revamp
A painterly wall mural, Dutch and North African touches, and lots of 1960s flair give this flat elegance and personality
A young couple looking for more space were lucky enough to find a beautiful one-bed flat in Vincennes, a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. They fell in love with the property, especially its double living room and the bright daylight streaming in through large windows.
Nonetheless, the place needed a complete revamp. The owners called on interior designer and decorator Olivier Bourdon. He uses a preliminary questionnaire to gain an understanding of his clients’ characters and tastes, so he can create an interior that’s as personalised as possible.
The owners told him about their Dutch and Algerian backgrounds; explained that they like vintage things, books and travelling, and discussed their interests in art, philosophy and culture. Bourdon then wove these preferences into the décor.
Nonetheless, the place needed a complete revamp. The owners called on interior designer and decorator Olivier Bourdon. He uses a preliminary questionnaire to gain an understanding of his clients’ characters and tastes, so he can create an interior that’s as personalised as possible.
The owners told him about their Dutch and Algerian backgrounds; explained that they like vintage things, books and travelling, and discussed their interests in art, philosophy and culture. Bourdon then wove these preferences into the décor.
To complete his analysis, Bourdon asked them to name adjectives that appealed to them. One of the owners listed “melancholy, unusual, simple, eclectic, exuberant, intimate and studious”, while the other offered “calm and Zen”.
“They’re not your average clients. Sensitive and cultured, they were unusually precise as to what they wanted,” Bourdon says.
As a result, he came up with a vintage feel, with references to the period in which the building was constructed and the modernism of that era.
He offered the owners the visual harmony of olive green and raw wood, both contrasted and connected by ultramarine. The couple immediately agreed to the proposal.
“They’re not your average clients. Sensitive and cultured, they were unusually precise as to what they wanted,” Bourdon says.
As a result, he came up with a vintage feel, with references to the period in which the building was constructed and the modernism of that era.
He offered the owners the visual harmony of olive green and raw wood, both contrasted and connected by ultramarine. The couple immediately agreed to the proposal.
Entering the living room is a striking experience. On the wall, a huge mural immerses the viewer in the light that’s characteristic of the Dutch Golden Age paintings by artists such as Johannes Vermeer and Pieter van Ruijven.
Marcel Proust measured poetic art against the small patch of yellow wall in Vermeer’s View of Delft, stating, “Style for the writer, no less than colour for the painter, is a matter not of technique but of vision.” There is no doubt that Bourdon had similarly powerful vision in bringing to life the origins and tastes of his clients on this wall.
Mural, Au Fil des Couleurs
Marcel Proust measured poetic art against the small patch of yellow wall in Vermeer’s View of Delft, stating, “Style for the writer, no less than colour for the painter, is a matter not of technique but of vision.” There is no doubt that Bourdon had similarly powerful vision in bringing to life the origins and tastes of his clients on this wall.
Mural, Au Fil des Couleurs
The other walls have been painted in a mineral grey. On the floor, the typically 1960s brick-pattern parquet was sanded and treated with matt varnish to bring out its pale colour.
The idea of furnishing the flat in 1950s and 1960s style appealed to both the talented bargain-hunter owners and Bourdon. “I enjoyed doing this because I grew up in a family of antiques dealers,” the designer says.
One of the owners found the two green armchairs, and Bourdon discovered the Scandinavian sofa.
Find the perfect interior designer for your project in the Houzz Directory
The idea of furnishing the flat in 1950s and 1960s style appealed to both the talented bargain-hunter owners and Bourdon. “I enjoyed doing this because I grew up in a family of antiques dealers,” the designer says.
One of the owners found the two green armchairs, and Bourdon discovered the Scandinavian sofa.
Find the perfect interior designer for your project in the Houzz Directory
Bourdon is particularly proud of the brass and green marble coffee table that he got at an auction for about €200 (around £176).
Jute rug, AM.PM
Jute rug, AM.PM
One of the owners grew up in Holland, where large windows are common, so she was very pleased to find windows of this size.
Giving them the right finish was a question of creating large storage boxes that double as seats. A pine plywood, known in France as batipin, was chosen to complete the warm vintage atmosphere, as it’s inexpensive but still has a gorgeous surface.
“Initially, we didn’t plan to clad the strip of wall next to the window, but the mural, sold in one size, wasn’t wide enough to cover the entire wall. This batipin veneer solved the problem and frames the window well,” Bourdon says. This is how you turn a constraint into an advantage.
Giving them the right finish was a question of creating large storage boxes that double as seats. A pine plywood, known in France as batipin, was chosen to complete the warm vintage atmosphere, as it’s inexpensive but still has a gorgeous surface.
“Initially, we didn’t plan to clad the strip of wall next to the window, but the mural, sold in one size, wasn’t wide enough to cover the entire wall. This batipin veneer solved the problem and frames the window well,” Bourdon says. This is how you turn a constraint into an advantage.
The second part of the double living room has been converted into a library/office. This was a necessity for the owners, who have a lot of books and frequently work from home.
The shelving was custom-made out of the same pine plywood as the window seats by carpenter Jan Maes. Paying great attention to practicality and the lines of the room, he recommended building slightly staggered, adjustable shelves and a desk that extends from the bookcase.
The shelving was custom-made out of the same pine plywood as the window seats by carpenter Jan Maes. Paying great attention to practicality and the lines of the room, he recommended building slightly staggered, adjustable shelves and a desk that extends from the bookcase.
The owners lent the room a touch of warmth by adding this handmade wool Beni Ourain rug.
Striving for a natural and healthy interior, the couple also had the flat wired with LAN sockets, so they don’t have to use Wi-Fi.
Striving for a natural and healthy interior, the couple also had the flat wired with LAN sockets, so they don’t have to use Wi-Fi.
The vintage atmosphere continues into the kitchen, thanks to a toile wallpaper and an old family table with matching Thonet bistro chairs.
The wall on the left is covered with the pine plywood, a common thread throughout the flat, while the laminated oak counter echoes the wood on the other side of the room.
The wall on the left is covered with the pine plywood, a common thread throughout the flat, while the laminated oak counter echoes the wood on the other side of the room.
Toile de Jouy wallpaper in Carnival, Au Fil des Couleurs.
Jars of spices and wooden utensils remind the owners of their different journeys. “We’ve tried to design the interior of every room as a mixture of East and West, which is a way to both travel without leaving the house and hint at the owners’ roots,” Bourdon says.
The other side of the kitchen is adorned with an ultramarine wall. “This deep blue contrasts well with the batipin and creates the atmosphere of another place, such as the Majorelle garden in Marrakech.”
The walls and ceiling in the hallway are painted a soothing olive green to create calm before entering the bedroom. Two of the walls in the bedroom are covered with batipin to extend the warm wooden atmosphere.
On the floor, an organic wool carpet represents the couple’s love of natural materials, as does the set of washed linen sheets.
One of the walls is actually a giant, 40cm-deep) wardrobe. The wooden fronts on the cupboards and drawers were worked with great care to ensure the grain runs seamlessly from one element to the next.
“The batipin, which is a softwood plywood, naturally has a beautiful grain, and it would have been unfortunate not to exploit it. But it requires real expertise,” Bourdon says.
One of the walls is actually a giant, 40cm-deep) wardrobe. The wooden fronts on the cupboards and drawers were worked with great care to ensure the grain runs seamlessly from one element to the next.
“The batipin, which is a softwood plywood, naturally has a beautiful grain, and it would have been unfortunate not to exploit it. But it requires real expertise,” Bourdon says.
The bathroom continues the kitchen’s ultramarine theme. “We kept struggling to find the right décor for this room, until we finally came up with the idea of waterproof wallpaper. The owners immediately liked it,” Bourdon says.
This was coated in resin in several stages to make it water-repellent.
Wet System wallpaper, Wall & Deco.
This was coated in resin in several stages to make it water-repellent.
Wet System wallpaper, Wall & Deco.
The bath and basin were already there when the couple moved in. To bring the vintage spirit into the bathroom, Bourdon bargain-hunted and found an old metal hospital trolley with ceramic shelves to store bathroom accessories.
“We tried to evoke the styles one of the owners particularly likes: those of Jean Cocteau and Madeleine Castaing, a 20th-century interior designer and antiques dealer who was in love with blue and who conceived décor ideas that ran contrary to contemporary canons.
“She wanted to ‘make poetry with furniture’, and to do so she blended styles and eras without fearing contradictions,” Bourdon says.
“We tried to evoke the styles one of the owners particularly likes: those of Jean Cocteau and Madeleine Castaing, a 20th-century interior designer and antiques dealer who was in love with blue and who conceived décor ideas that ran contrary to contemporary canons.
“She wanted to ‘make poetry with furniture’, and to do so she blended styles and eras without fearing contradictions,” Bourdon says.
The very modern tap, designed by Antonio Citterio for Axor, was selected for its retro look. A bevelled mirror adds to the vintage theme.
“The owners told me what their guests said when they first saw the apartment. They found that it evokes harmony, elegance, comfort and good feelings in general. What better compliment could I ask for?” Bourdon says.
“To succeed with a project, it’s really important that the clients open up and unveil their personalities,” he adds. “The owners went along with it and I thank them for that.”
Tell us…
What do you think of this small flat? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
“The owners told me what their guests said when they first saw the apartment. They found that it evokes harmony, elegance, comfort and good feelings in general. What better compliment could I ask for?” Bourdon says.
“To succeed with a project, it’s really important that the clients open up and unveil their personalities,” he adds. “The owners went along with it and I thank them for that.”
Tell us…
What do you think of this small flat? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here A young couple
Location Vincennes, Île-de-France, France
Property The third floor of a 1960s building
Size One bedroom and one bathroom (645 sq ft)
Budget €42,000 (about £37,000)
Duration of work Four months
Completion date Summer 2017
Interior designer Olivier Bourdon of Bambù
Photos by Julien Clapot
Since the owners liked the layout of the flat, it wasn’t changed. The décor, however, had to be completely redone. “Apart from the central heating system and oak flooring, there was nothing worth keeping,” Bourdon says.
When Bourdon interviewed the couple about their expectations, one asked him to keep all traces of the flat’s history and give it a personal touch wherever there were incongruities in the décor. Her partner emphasised his desire for beauty, space and a feeling of wellbeing.