A Parisian couple fell in love with and bought this unconventionally sized apartment, which used to be a clothing workshop, in the 11th arrondissem*nt in Paris, France. But after living in the property for a year, they found the space did not meet their needs: their bedroom was too small, the three mezzanine spaces were difficult to use and the bathroom was outdated.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 working space at home. The couple tried drawing up 3D floor plans but soon realised they needed the help of a professional, so they searched for local pros on Houzz and found interior designer Isabelle Heilmann of Épicène, who completely transformed their home.
Épicène
Photos by BCDFstudio.
Apartment at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple in their thirties
Location: Paris, France
Size: 80 square metres
Interior designer: Isabelle Heilmann of Épicène
In the bustling district, located in the heights of the 11th arrondissem*nt beneath the beautiful parklands of the Parc de Belleville, this former 80-square-metre Eiffel-style clothing studio dates back to the end of the 19th century. The workshop has served different functions in its life: previous owners turned the space into an apartment.
Before Photo
The floor plan before works.
They had adapted the layout around a stunning existing central glass wall to make two main rooms. The first is a dining room and main bedroom (marked ‘chambre’ on the floor plan) on the entrance side, and the second is a living area and teenager’s bedroom on the other side of the wall towards the back of the apartment (marked ‘bureau’ on the floor plan).
They also took advantage of the 3.45-metre height under the ceiling and kept the mezzanine levels that were dedicated to the workshop’s former stock.
“The space was full of charm and appealed to me straight away,” says Heilmann. However, she agreed that the home needed renovating as “the owners had charming but uncomfortable living arrangements”.
The lower-floor plan (left) and the mezzanine-floor plan (right) after works.
The client struggled to rearrange the open space, which was not initially designed for living, and Heilmann sensed why. “They weren’t drastic enough in their changes; they were reluctant to transform everything.”
But her professional experience, 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.
Struggling with your own floor plan? Browse projects by interior designers and find one near you
Before Photo
The kitchen before works under the mezzanine.
Reassured by their interior designer, 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, whereas the homeowners had worked on the decor. It was a magical collaboration, a really pleasant experience,” says Heilmann.
Épicène
The kitchen after works.
The homeowners shared a folder of decor ideas with Heilmann and their mood board showed a pronounced taste 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,” says Heilmann.
Agnès Carpentier
Built under the mezzanine by the entrance and illuminated with natural light from the windows, the L-shaped kitchen remains in the same place. Intentionally subtle, the base cabinetry (comprised of units from Ikea) was adorned with birch plywood doors and a marbled Corian benchtop in Witch Hazel. White-painted floorboards replaced the old linoleum floor.
Before Photo
The dining area before works.
Here’s the dining area and the view of the homeowners’ original bedroom with indirect light filtering in from behind the fireplace.
Épicène
The dining area after works.
The owners love the vintage design and bohemian accents, which also steered the project.
The dining room’s architecture is structured around a farmhouse aesthetic, with 1950s chairs. They complement the raw steel-and-glass wall beautifully, a remnant of the clothing workshop, which divides the apartment in two and gives the home charm.
Épicène
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 precious piece of history and is now a guest room.
Before Photo
The wardrobe before works.
Previously, this left-hand section of the old mezzanine had been integrated into the room as a walk-in wardrobe. However, it wasn’t very convenient climbing the ladder each day to grab your coat…
The bathroom after works.
Heilmann reconfigured the left-hand section beneath the mezzanine and transformed it into a bathroom. She also added a window to the upper portion so it would benefit from natural light.
The shape of the tiled sink demonstrates the project theme of playing with cubes, with its rounded edges and a boldly cut shower screen.
Épicène
Playful vessels in different shades invigorate the space with a subtle nod to colour-blocking, a design tactic that’s reinforced by the birch door and blue ceiling (see previous image).
Épicène
Under the mezzanine near the entrance, an emerald door hides the powder room. To restore the vintage charm, the interior designer endlessly searched for the manufacturer of this antique mixer tap, reminiscent of school bathrooms, embedded above a Timbre d’Office-style sink on brackets. The pink cement tiles on the wall and a stone-effect porcelain floor complete the aesthetic.
Before Photo
The dining/living area before works.
Heilmann recommended demolishing the fireplace and the wall with the internal window that separated the dining/living space from the main bedroom. This emphasised a structural column (just seen behind the fireplace), which the designer integrated into the new design.
Before Photo
The main bedroom before works.
“You could barely walk around the bed in the room,” says Heilmann, who advocated to transform the main bedroom into a home-office space that opened out onto the living area.
Épicène
The home-office area after works.
“The apartment needed a dedicated office for the couple as they hadn’t completely stopped remote working after the end of the pandemic,” says Heilmann. She set up two workstations to replace the old bedroom.
Épicène
To separate the office from the dining room while maintaining the beauty of the volumes, the interior designer 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.
Épicène
The vintage elements (farmhouse table and industrial fittings) and bold touches of colour (the lamp and vintage poster) brighten the white walls and painted flooring. “The homeowners had this Snoopy lamp designed by Achille [and Pier Giacomo] Castiglioni. This was the starting point for the colourful details dotted around the flat,” says Heilmann.
Browse more transitional-style living areas featuring glass walls
Épicène
Relieved of the former main bedroom, the living room has newfound scale. The raw steel-and-glass wall that divides the room provides a magnificent backdrop, while the furniture with bohemian accents elevates the space. This includes the corduroy sofa, Boucherouite rug, a chair by modernist Marcel Breuer and 1970s chest of drawers.
The playful swing seat highlights the bold and creative vision of the renovation. “The suspension bars on the ceiling reflect the home’s industrial past; they were likely used to hang pieces of cloth,” says Heilmann.
Épicène
Opposite the wall of internal glazing, the rear of the living room is deliberately bare. “The owners wanted to keep one wall blank to watch films with a projector,” says Heilmann.
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
Previously, a bathroom was hidden behind the glass wall adjacent to the living room and old office, with the mezzanine above.
Today, the bathroom is adjacent to the office and the space was transformed into a suite for the owners. The mezzanine level now has a window, just like the new bathroom, to gain more natural borrowed light.
The homeowners placed industrial-style metal shelves with with colourful crates by the yellow bedroom door.
Before Photo
This room, which was formerly a teenager’s bedroom with a mezzanine bed, used to have an office space.
Épicène
It now forms part of the living area. The existing glass wall with an atypical shape was an important element in the renovation.
“It contributed to the home’s new design centred around playing with blocks,” says Heilmann. “The asymmetrical shape adds a lot of charm to the space.”
Épicène
On the other side of the wall – in the owners’ bedroom – the same glass window inspired the design of the brickwork headboard. “This headboard with a modernist feel extends into the living room board,” says Heilmann of the joinery.
Épicène
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 once connected to the main bedroom, and is now a walk-in wardrobe.
Épicène
Opposite the bed, the new open wardrobe area was designed with a geometrical composition in mind. “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,” says Heilmann.
Colour-blocking also permeates the space, but with the aim of softening the contrasts. As a result, the door, bedspread and even curtain shades are desaturated compared to the vivid colours in the living area.
The designer was pleased with the renovation, which was completed in 2021 and took five months. “I consider the project a success since the entire space is cohesive and natural. You might assume that it had always looked like this,” she says.
As for the owners, they were happy that they could preserve the soul of the space while radically modernising it to enjoy an exceptional standard of living.
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