Moving the apartment’s technical functions into a central core is the renovation’s defining decision, turning an awkward collection of rooms into a layout that can be circulated without repeatedly doubling back. Architect Pierre describes an original home burdened by an oversized entrance, a living area divided by a kitchen counter, poor relationships to natural light, bathroom access only through the bedroom, and no dedicated laundry. The redesign addresses those shortcomings as interconnected planning problems rather than simply making the existing rooms prettier.
The most convincing improvements come from treating storage and utilities as architecture. Closets are distributed throughout the entrance, bedroom and central core, while the living room bookcase combines display shelves, concealed storage and a television unit. Mirror doors at the end of the entrance corridor are intended to extend the visual perspective and reflect light, and the laundry area incorporates ventilation and drying racks so clothes do not need to occupy the living room. These are modest interventions individually, but together they demonstrate how carefully planned storage can materially improve daily life in 45 square meters.
That practical thinking continues in the bathroom, where closing the corridor doors effectively converts the whole zone into a private bathroom suite. Standard-sized fixtures are used as a cost-conscious starting point, then visually integrated through tiled surfaces, cabinetry and niches. The compact shower receives built-in storage for toiletries, while a heated towel rail occupies another recess. The presentation is particularly useful when it explains these decisions in terms of space and function rather than relying entirely on finished-room beauty shots.
The bedroom similarly avoids wasting limited floor area. Wall-mounted bedside tables, concealed-looking closet doors and a fold-out desk provide useful functions without demanding permanent furniture footprints. A larger wardrobe can be reached from both the bedroom and entrance corridor, an especially clever example of making one volume serve different parts of the apartment. Two curtain types allow the bedroom to be fully darkened, showing that the project considers comfort alongside visual minimalism.
Aesthetically, the restrained renovation makes a deliberate effort not to erase the building’s age. Pierre says the design drew inspiration from rough, predominantly white gallery spaces as well as the apartment’s uneven walls and old timber beams, while the clients were interested in simple raw materials and brutalist influences. Stainless-steel-clad IKEA kitchen cabinetry, refurbished office lighting, vintage furniture and the exposed beams create a convincing mixture of utilitarian new elements and visibly aged fabric. Suspending the curtain track from thin rods to negotiate the beams is an especially appealing instance of a constraint becoming part of the design language.
The presentation does have limitations. Much of the discussion explains what was designed and why, but there is little information about the renovation process itself, overall budget, construction difficulties, compromises or how extensively a building described as more than 200 years old complicated the work. Even the building’s age is appropriately presented only as an estimate rather than a firmly established date. For viewers hoping to understand the practical realities of executing this transformation, the polished finished-space tour provides considerably more design insight than construction detail.
The lengthy 3D-printer sponsorship is also unusually disruptive. It shifts completely away from the Paris apartment into office organizers, a piggy bank and coasters just as the renovation explanation has established its central planning concept. Once the apartment tour resumes, however, the commentary remains focused and specific, and the concluding discussion appropriately frames small-space architecture as a balance among the client’s brief, daily habits and the possibilities of the existing space rather than pretending there is one universal formula.
Pros
- The central technical core provides a clear organizing idea that directly addresses several weaknesses of the original floor plan.
- Storage is thoughtfully integrated throughout the apartment, including dual-access wardrobes, concealed bathroom storage and a multifunctional living-room bookcase.
- Numerous small details, including wall-mounted bedside tables, a fold-out desk, shower niches and dedicated indoor drying space, respond convincingly to everyday life in a compact home.
- The restrained material palette preserves the uneven walls and old beams while incorporating industrial, vintage and functional contemporary elements.
- Explanations consistently connect design choices to space, light, circulation, clutter reduction and the clients’ practical needs.
Cons
- Little is shown or explained about construction, renovation challenges, overall costs or compromises involved in transforming such an old apartment.
- The finished tour offers limited evidence of the original conditions beyond verbal descriptions, making the scale of some improvements harder to assess comparatively.
- The extended 3D-printing sponsorship has little connection to the featured apartment and significantly interrupts the architectural narrative.
Careful circulation, unusually efficient storage and respect for the building’s irregular historic character make this a persuasive example of compact residential design. More before-and-after context and practical renovation detail would have made the transformation more informative, while the lengthy sponsorship weakens an otherwise focused presentation. The finished home nevertheless demonstrates how disciplined planning can make 45 square meters feel substantially more functional without stripping away its character.
