Ooh la la! A French Apartment Transformed

April Kennedy April Kennedy
modern by Transition Interior Design , Modern
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The chic transformation of this French home is definitely one of the most delightful renovations we have explored. It covers a modest 36 square metres and for those looking at renovating a small apartment, there is a lot to inspire here. The changes are innovative, totally dramatic and the final product is just so perfectly stylish it has definitely captured our hearts.

The project comes to us courtesy of French interior designers Transition Interior Design. It lies in the heart of Paris and the owners, a young professional couple, spent just over SG$56,000 on the design. For a small property so ideally located, the cost was definitely worth every penny.

So come with us on a photo tour to explore the makeover in more detail. Enjoy!

Before: small and drab

The building dates from the 1920s and has a typical configuration with lots of small and separate living areas. There was a single bedroom, a living room, separate kitchen and bathroom. Although there are some lovely French doors in the reflection here that invite lots of light, the enclosed layout meant that little of this light reached all of the rooms.

After: open, bright and vibrant

The apartment was completely gutted and redesigned, right down to the plumbing and electrical components. The kitchen and dining were combined and the interior was fitted out with bright and modern furnishings. These have such a powerful effect on the ambience of the home, that we will explore them first. The designers say they wanted to create a home with sophistication, charm, softness and warmth. They managed to do all this with a light colour scheme and bright accents. But a key part of this look is the various styles in use; from retro and contemporary through to industrial elements.

Before: a pokey kitchen

The pokey wooden kitchen is certainly in a sorry state. It looks to have been last updated in the 1980s or 90s and is sadly out of date. It also feels very small and dysfunctional. There doesn't seem to be much bench space and there is certainly poor natural light.

After: a larger and more integrated kitchen

The new kitchen is certainly a vast improvement. A minimalist design has been executed in warm wooden tones, and a quartz worktop and kitchen island adds a whole lot of bench space. The budget was relatively modest for such a dramatic transformation, so budget solutions were used where possible. So the basic kitchen cabinets came from Ikea, but the dressed oak doors were custom made by a cabinetmaker.

The parquet flooring in the living room was also replaced. This allowed for a perfect fusion between the kitchen and living room. The selected wood finishes also add a sense of unity to the space.

Before: small and characterless

This corner of the living room shows the large French door and smaller entry to the bedroom. The living room and entry is perfectly fine, but the separation made the living room feel small and pokey. This is a good angle to help orientate ourselves for the following photo.

After: a chic spacious transparent design

On the left here, we have the same French door we saw earlier. And now of course we have the elegant studio glass that separates the bedroom and kitchen/living room with the colourful blue sofa. This glass wall allows light to flow through the space unimpeded. For those who wonder about privacy, there are curtains installed on the bedroom side that can be drawn across for privacy. In any case, this isn't a huge issue in an apartment for a young couple.

The black frames on the windows also add a nice sense of separation to the open ambience of the living room. They also add variation to the living room decor. This is, of course, expanded upon with the exposed brick wall we will explore in a moment.

After: an industrial chic bedroom

The designers wanted to create a feeling of nostalgia and comfort in the bedroom. They sought to convey this with traditional, exposed brick walls. The brick wall was installed and bleached for an aged look. This look really works with industrial light fittings light the bedside lamps seen here. Note how the soft, subdued bedroom furnishings have been used to accentuate the natural textures on the wall.

Before: an ugly bathroom with uniform tiling

It can be easy to dismiss dated decor, but this bathroom is seriously unattractive! As is common with a lot of bathroom renovations, the entire wall and floor were covered in beige tiles.

After: a geometric bathroom with pizzazz

This is one stunning bathroom makeover. The wall tiles have been completely removed and the entire space painted white. A tiny wash basin and wall-hung toilet have also been fitted and these really make the space appear larger. But the standout feature here is obviously the geometric floor tile. It adds depth, colour and a whole lot of pizzazz to this bathroom.

If you're interested in dramatic transformations, you'll love this Ideabook Before and After: the Barcelona Dairy.

Which is your favourite new room here? What do you think of the glass partition in this home? We would love to hear in the comments below!

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