A Parisian apartment transformed into frugal micro-architecture

After having lived for years in the Marais, with its apartments full of character although a little dark, Jasmine et Cyrus wanted light and openness, a large living room, and a garage too. Seduced by the 19th arrondissement and the proximity of canal de l’Ourcq, the couple took over this space housed in a 1960s building designed by the French architect Roger Anger (1923-2008). Cyrus being himself an architect, at the head of his agency Cyrus Ardalan for over a year, passed through Louis Vuitton, Laurent Deroo (which signs, among others, the APC stores) and India Mahdavithe two young people are looking for a place to transform. “We found the ad on Le Bon Coin, the images were horrible, but it intrigued us”says Jasmine. Cyrus completes: “We wanted to redo everything to our liking and, above all, we wanted spaces where there were no load-bearing walls so that we could break everything.” The apartment is made up of small rooms that aren’t necessarily useful… As expected, they put everything back together. “There was only one pole left,” explains Cyrus, “which was in a cupboard, now left visible in the bedroom.” Then they redefine the spaces: a small bedroom with bathroom to the north, a large living room bathed in light with open kitchen to the south. The floor is covered with white paint like in car parks, to accentuate the brightness.

Concerning the spatial organization, as an alternative to the classic use of the plaster partition, Cyrus imagines what will bring all its character to the project: a plywood structure, the common thread from the entrance to the bedroom, where it contains a set of invisible cupboards, passing through the kitchen and the living room which it frames by a bookcase with its lockers on one side and by a low piece of furniture running under the windows on the other. “I like the carpentry elements,” explains the architect. We can imagine that working with wood immediately means using a noble species, like oak, but we preferred this fairly basic plywood, initially pink, which we worked and treated with a carpenter so that it is hydrophobic and has this mahogany shade.” During the work, the couple realized that it was impossible to drill and screw anything to the floor or ceiling due to heating circuits, a disadvantage which was remedied by this tailor-made structure, made of modules screwed together. . “Everything is held by jacks which push up and down, Cyrus explains. It holds by pressure and, as it remains in place, we could unscrew, remove everything, and find a completely empty room.” To counterbalance the presence of wood, they decided to integrate a third material – ceramics, tiles, glass paste, etc. – in reference to the original facade of the building, which has since been coated. They finally set their sights on aluminum which they attach to the useful opening elements and the work surface. “I like to integrate metal into my projects, says Cyrus. It reflects light and appears either white or gray. It’s quite a humble project, I like this frugal aesthetic”he adds. On the furniture side, great attention was paid to pieces, essentially vintage. And objects with stories, family, heart, moments punctuate the shelves and walls of the apartment, while a Lyrata fig inhabits the space as if it had always been there.