In the heart of Paris, historical spaces are reinterpreted through a new distribution and harmony between light and volumes, where the dialogue between historical memory and contemporary language redefines comfort and perception of living.
It is a story that spans one hundred and sixty years of transformations, made up of signs left by time and today reorganized through a modern sensitivity. This renovation was born from a contemporary reflection on living, based on the conscious and rational use of space, applied to a nineteenth-century plan characterized by narrow rooms and a now outdated distribution. Designed for a young family, the intervention did not affect the sophisticated original soul of the property, which remains legible and intact, but it radically transformed the internal liveability, restoring continuity, light and breath to the interiors.
The living room, the heart of the apartment, shows the fusion between the nineteenth-century layout and the new bright openings, with the wallpaper that recalls the decorative opulence of the Second Empire and guides the gaze along the space.
The work in question, signed by the chagny & florent studio, concerns a 65 m2 apartment located on the fourth floor of a Haussmannian-era building, built around 1855 in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. The house, consisting of a living area, kitchen and two bedrooms, had remained almost unchanged for decades and showed all the typical fragilities of an antiquated plan: limited spaces, insufficient lighting and a practically non-existent service area, without a real bathroom and fragmented into separate elements.
The lounge area and kitchen interact in a single space, where the natural light and the double view enhance the fluidity of the new distribution and the reference to the historical era.
The design strategy took shape from the first structural decisions, choosing to intervene on the internal load-bearing wall, opening it in a calibrated way to orient the living space transversally with respect to the facades. Static safety was guaranteed by the insertion of an iron architrave with a contemporary language, which becomes a declared sign of the transformation, without camouflage or forcing.
The dining and kitchen area joins the dining area in a harmonious environment, characterized by custom-made furnishings and details that define functional and contemporary spaces.
The kitchen combines stainless steel and light wood, combining robust and material surfaces that emphasize quality and practicality without sacrificing timeless elegance.
In contrast to the most common schemes, which place the living area along the street view and relegate bedrooms and bathrooms towards the courtyard, the intervention rejected this conventional separation. Freeing itself from the rigidity imposed by the wall, the apartment takes full advantage of the double east-west orientation and the open view over the Parisian rooftops, enhancing the central position within the block. Questa scelta ha consentito di riunire soggiorno, pranzo e cucina in un unico ambiente, ampio e attraversato dalla luce, che accompagna lo spazio dalle prime ore del mattino fino alla sera.
The custom-made bookcases interact with preserved elements such as the stove and mouldings, while the ceiling decorations enrich the environment with a timeless charm.
The concept of stratification also translates into the selection of materials and colors: a wallpaper with a strong character, inspired by the decorative opulence of the Second Empire, defines the deep blue shade that underlines the layout of the ancient corridor and the internal wall, transforming them into the symbolic axis around which the entire project is organized. The furnishings arise from a refined balance between iconic design pieces, period elements, accessible low-cost solutions and more precious accents.
The new division between the dining area and bedroom lets light filter into the more private space, broadening its perception thanks to the greater brightness.
The entrance today leads to a much more airy living area, thanks to the visual continuity of the open space that is created with the kitchen. The main bedroom gains spaciousness through a glass partition, which can be shielded with blackout fabrics, which lets natural light filter in and expands the perception of space. The second bedroom retains balanced dimensions and communicates both with the living room and with a new hallway, designed to hide the laundry room and lead towards the renovated bathroom, in continuity with the ancient toilet.
The main bedroom features a custom-made headboard in the same blue as the entrance, while the children’s room features the original fireplace and an atmosphere made even more welcoming thanks to the light tones chosen for the finishes.
Custom-made bookcases in steel and mirror, polycarbonate dividers, a stainless steel and birch kitchen and the new bathroom environment represent the contemporary, measured and recognizable additions. However, the herringbone parquet remains in place – to which new insertions have been integrated perfectly in line with the concept – the Prussian stove in the living room, a splendid nineteenth-century radiator, the fireplace in the bedroom, the moldings and the original wall decorations. It is a conscious superposition, which builds a new architectural identity without erasing the memory.
The bathroom features gray stone coverings and a vintage brass radiator, where natural materials and historical details interact harmoniously with the environment.
The space, previously fragmented, has been reorganized and today appears bright and functional thanks to the window which introduces natural light, enhancing the balance between new elements and historical traces.
Today the apartment has freed itself from the constraints of the Haussmann era and can once again welcome family life. It offers what, in the heart of an intense and complex city, has become essential: natural light throughout the day, visual depth, fluid spaces and a renewed feeling of freedom.
Project by chagny & florent- flcarchitecture.com
Photo ©BCDF studio / Bertrand Fompeyrine
The floor plan of the Parisian apartment ©chagny & florentine
On the cover, an apartment from the Haussmannian era which, after decades of constraints and fragmented spaces, finds continuity and legibility thanks to a contemporary intervention that enhances the past without erasing it.
