18 Petite French Apartments Under 20 Square Metres
Small spaces are part of the fabric of French architecture – see how creative designers maximised their chic potential
Micro-apartments have been making the news as symptoms of ongoing housing crises around the world, from over-crowded areas in Sydney, NSW, to London, UK. But while these tiny abodes are a new feature in some urban areas, they’ve been part of the French architectural fabric of Paris for over a century.
Their predominance in France is thanks to Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann’s mid-19th-century reconstruction of Paris. On the top floors of Haussmann’s new buildings – and others built on similar plans up to World War I – there were often chambres de bonne (maids’ rooms), which housed the domestic staff serving the families in the spacious apartments below. A study by APUR, the Parisian Atelier for Urbanism, estimated that more than 100,000 are still extant in Paris today. Revamped with added plumbing, chambres de bonne and other small apartments throughout France now serve as affordable accommodation for students, tourists, and weekend commuters.
So how do you turn such small spaces into not only liveable, but beautiful and even comfortable homes? We talked to the professionals behind some of Houzz France’s most inspiring tiny apartment renovations to find out. The converted chambres de bonne and other small spaces we’ve rounded up below all come in at under 20 square metres, and all mix impressive functionality with a big dose of style.
Their predominance in France is thanks to Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann’s mid-19th-century reconstruction of Paris. On the top floors of Haussmann’s new buildings – and others built on similar plans up to World War I – there were often chambres de bonne (maids’ rooms), which housed the domestic staff serving the families in the spacious apartments below. A study by APUR, the Parisian Atelier for Urbanism, estimated that more than 100,000 are still extant in Paris today. Revamped with added plumbing, chambres de bonne and other small apartments throughout France now serve as affordable accommodation for students, tourists, and weekend commuters.
So how do you turn such small spaces into not only liveable, but beautiful and even comfortable homes? We talked to the professionals behind some of Houzz France’s most inspiring tiny apartment renovations to find out. The converted chambres de bonne and other small spaces we’ve rounded up below all come in at under 20 square metres, and all mix impressive functionality with a big dose of style.
2. Location: Paris, France
Size: 12 square metres
“I wanted to put the washroom in a kind of cabin in the studio. I worked with rounded forms to add some style. We installed an arched door leading to the bathroom. The kitchen splashback and the bathroom basin also adopt markedly soft, rounded forms, like most of the decor and lights throughout the space,” says Nicolas Payet of Agence Marn Déco.
Size: 12 square metres
“I wanted to put the washroom in a kind of cabin in the studio. I worked with rounded forms to add some style. We installed an arched door leading to the bathroom. The kitchen splashback and the bathroom basin also adopt markedly soft, rounded forms, like most of the decor and lights throughout the space,” says Nicolas Payet of Agence Marn Déco.
3. Location: Paris, France
Size: 12 square metres
“[The owner] wanted to enter [her pied-à-terre in Paris] as if it were her own home and to shrug off her life outside, then proceed into the cocooned space behind the openwork divider. Differentiating the spaces was very important to her,” says Charlotte Astruc.
Size: 12 square metres
“[The owner] wanted to enter [her pied-à-terre in Paris] as if it were her own home and to shrug off her life outside, then proceed into the cocooned space behind the openwork divider. Differentiating the spaces was very important to her,” says Charlotte Astruc.
Inspired by ships’ cabins and train compartments, the dining area/office corner was carefully planned to avoid losing space. The seat incorporates storage for the duvet and pillow.
4. Location: Paris, France
Size: 13 square metres
“This large, seamless mirror gives the impression that there is another room. A colleague who visited the studio had previously used this kind of mirrored wall, and thought he could take it even further,” says Léo Berastegui of Miogui Architecture. “It is interesting to see how a feature this enormous, which was even difficult to get in – getting it into the stairwell was memorable! – could disappear to create more space.”
Size: 13 square metres
“This large, seamless mirror gives the impression that there is another room. A colleague who visited the studio had previously used this kind of mirrored wall, and thought he could take it even further,” says Léo Berastegui of Miogui Architecture. “It is interesting to see how a feature this enormous, which was even difficult to get in – getting it into the stairwell was memorable! – could disappear to create more space.”
“A 120 x 190-centimetre, commercially available bed frame finished in Batipin [a pine plywood] folds very easily back into its alcove, without having to take off the duvet. A little shelf inside the unit serves as a night table, equipped with sockets and a neon light. Below it are multiple storage units with tilting doors. In the top section, three cupboards offer shelves and a closet. The cupboard on the right conceals the electric meter and a niche that can be reached from the entrance, for setting down keys.”
5. Location: Paris, France
Size: 13 square metres
Aude Groshaeny of Décodage Création encouraged the owners of this apartment to use colour to set off the ‘box’ containing all of the home’s functional components and add a little pep to the small space. “They were partial to a palette of blue and green, and we had fun with these tones,” she says.
Size: 13 square metres
Aude Groshaeny of Décodage Création encouraged the owners of this apartment to use colour to set off the ‘box’ containing all of the home’s functional components and add a little pep to the small space. “They were partial to a palette of blue and green, and we had fun with these tones,” she says.
6. Location: Paris, France
Size: 13 square metres
“We came up with the idea of a 140 x 190-centimetre bed that slides into the 40-centimetre-deep wall unit. This way, the bed creates a 100-centimetre-deep banquette during the day, while aligning perfectly with the bathroom divider in the nighttime position,” says Payet of Marn Déco.
Size: 13 square metres
“We came up with the idea of a 140 x 190-centimetre bed that slides into the 40-centimetre-deep wall unit. This way, the bed creates a 100-centimetre-deep banquette during the day, while aligning perfectly with the bathroom divider in the nighttime position,” says Payet of Marn Déco.
“We had a storage bench made to order out of oak veneer panels. The seat under the cushion opens on a hinge,” says Payet.
7. Location: Paris, France
Size: 13 square metres
“The divider between the bathroom and the living room seemed central to me for regrouping the technical functions and freeing the space in the rest of the flat,” says Groshaeny of Décodage Création. “The creation of all of the custom joinery moreover made it possible to transform the studio into a unique and personal place.”
Size: 13 square metres
“The divider between the bathroom and the living room seemed central to me for regrouping the technical functions and freeing the space in the rest of the flat,” says Groshaeny of Décodage Création. “The creation of all of the custom joinery moreover made it possible to transform the studio into a unique and personal place.”
8. Location: Paris, France
Size: 14 square metres
The kitchen was previously packed entirely into the entrance of this apartment. “The small size of this entrance made it impossible to include all of the kitchen features and integrate both a fridge and a washing machine. We therefore extended the kitchen right up to the living room, with the two sections separated by a load-bearing wall. This made it possible to include a large worktop and maximum storage,” says interior designer Marie-Sophie Donnedieu of how she managed to squeeze in a well-proportioned benchtop.
Size: 14 square metres
The kitchen was previously packed entirely into the entrance of this apartment. “The small size of this entrance made it impossible to include all of the kitchen features and integrate both a fridge and a washing machine. We therefore extended the kitchen right up to the living room, with the two sections separated by a load-bearing wall. This made it possible to include a large worktop and maximum storage,” says interior designer Marie-Sophie Donnedieu of how she managed to squeeze in a well-proportioned benchtop.
9. Location: Paris, France
Size: 14 square metres
Back in 2014, designer Sarah Campet and her husband, engineer Olivier Taliani, devised a clever retractable system to double the functionality of a tiny bathroom. They applied it brilliantly in this 14-square-metre Parisian flat. The trick is a wall that opens on a pivot and incorporates a basin in front and a shower behind.
Size: 14 square metres
Back in 2014, designer Sarah Campet and her husband, engineer Olivier Taliani, devised a clever retractable system to double the functionality of a tiny bathroom. They applied it brilliantly in this 14-square-metre Parisian flat. The trick is a wall that opens on a pivot and incorporates a basin in front and a shower behind.
10. Location: Paris, France
Size: 15 square metres
Despite a tight budget, every corner of this apartment was fitted out with a view to improving its functionality. The kitchen was extended – it had previously been limited to the space around the living room.
Size: 15 square metres
Despite a tight budget, every corner of this apartment was fitted out with a view to improving its functionality. The kitchen was extended – it had previously been limited to the space around the living room.
The period joinery in the living room and the night area was removed in order to put in insulation. Instead of a fold-out sofa, Isabelle Le Rest chose a 135-centimetre-wide bed, which is more durable in a rental flat. Its size also gives it a banquette feel, accentuated by plenty of cushions in cheerful colours.
11. Location: Angers, France
Size: 16 square metres
“When I discovered Nicolas [Véger]’s Cube Box, I fell in love with this concept and the design of this solution, which combines into a single module everything you need to outfit a studio: the bed, the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, the office, the closet,” says homeowner Auguste Gréau.
Size: 16 square metres
“When I discovered Nicolas [Véger]’s Cube Box, I fell in love with this concept and the design of this solution, which combines into a single module everything you need to outfit a studio: the bed, the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, the office, the closet,” says homeowner Auguste Gréau.
However, at 16 square metres of floor space – though with impressive 3.57-metre ceilings – this apartment was too small for the cube box. Nicolas Véger of Very Good Box therefore pointed them to a second model, ‘the mini box’, designed for 10- to 20-square-metre spaces. At the time, he had only created a single prototype of this model. After a complete 3D drawing, the owners agreed to jump into the adventure of being the first to own a Mini Box.
12. Location: Paris, France
Size: 18 square metres
A clever rising bed was key to the success of this design. “It’s a mechanical bed, with a system of counterweights, which you can manoeuvre very easily with one hand. It is robust and reliable, made in France out of pine from Landes [in the south-west of France],” says Clément Monnain of l’Akolyt.
Size: 18 square metres
A clever rising bed was key to the success of this design. “It’s a mechanical bed, with a system of counterweights, which you can manoeuvre very easily with one hand. It is robust and reliable, made in France out of pine from Landes [in the south-west of France],” says Clément Monnain of l’Akolyt.
13. Location: Volcans d’Auvergne National park Mont-Dore ski station, France
Size: 18 square metres
“The idea the owners selected was the one that privileged nighttime comfort with a snug alcove, while leaving space for a kitchenette and a mini living-room corner,” says Laura Levadoux.
Size: 18 square metres
“The idea the owners selected was the one that privileged nighttime comfort with a snug alcove, while leaving space for a kitchenette and a mini living-room corner,” says Laura Levadoux.
14. Location: Bordeaux, France
Size: 18 square metres
“To make a small space liveable, there need to be places to store everything, including rubbish bins, the vacuum cleaner,” says Lauren Havel. “A single unit unfurls like a ribbon around the space, encompassing the whole entrance, the kitchen, a banquette, the staircase supports, the TV unit and the office.”
Size: 18 square metres
“To make a small space liveable, there need to be places to store everything, including rubbish bins, the vacuum cleaner,” says Lauren Havel. “A single unit unfurls like a ribbon around the space, encompassing the whole entrance, the kitchen, a banquette, the staircase supports, the TV unit and the office.”
15. Location: Paris, France
Size: 18 square metres
“I played along with a proposal to renovate what was there to the agreed budget, but I also risked presenting a second, more ambitious proposal, which bet on originality in design and tried to respond to all of [the owner’s] needs: a furniture structure separates the kitchen and a stationary bedroom corner, and conceals loads of storage,” says Laura Loustau. “The toilet room turned into a bathroom and there were still 10 square metres left over for the living room.”
Size: 18 square metres
“I played along with a proposal to renovate what was there to the agreed budget, but I also risked presenting a second, more ambitious proposal, which bet on originality in design and tried to respond to all of [the owner’s] needs: a furniture structure separates the kitchen and a stationary bedroom corner, and conceals loads of storage,” says Laura Loustau. “The toilet room turned into a bathroom and there were still 10 square metres left over for the living room.”
16. Location: Paris, France
Size: 19 square metres
“We created a mezzanine over the entrance out of wood, with a minimum floor thickness of 10 centimetres. With a 15-centimetre-thick mattress, there is a metre left over above the bed, enough to sit up comfortably,” says Margaux Carnevali of Neva Architecture Intérieure.
Size: 19 square metres
“We created a mezzanine over the entrance out of wood, with a minimum floor thickness of 10 centimetres. With a 15-centimetre-thick mattress, there is a metre left over above the bed, enough to sit up comfortably,” says Margaux Carnevali of Neva Architecture Intérieure.
Under the mezzanine is a 1.4 x 1.4-metre bathroom, with a 2.1-metre ceiling height. Carnevali was able to fit in a toilet with storage above it, a basin, a shower and a washing machine.
17. Location: Paris, France
Size: 19 square metres
“I went for the option of a central box enclosing the bathroom, with the kitchen unrolling around it,” says Lara Grand. “The hallway recreated by this partition was placed behind it, on the darker side. We optimised it with loads of storage space that can be accessed from three sides: the entrance, the bathroom and the bedroom.”
Size: 19 square metres
“I went for the option of a central box enclosing the bathroom, with the kitchen unrolling around it,” says Lara Grand. “The hallway recreated by this partition was placed behind it, on the darker side. We optimised it with loads of storage space that can be accessed from three sides: the entrance, the bathroom and the bedroom.”
18. Location: Paris, France
Size: 19 square metres
“We opened up the kitchen space and envisaged a bedroom corner in the mezzanine, placed as high as possible (at 2.3 metres) to pass comfortably overtop and to fit the dining corner underneath,” says Carnevali of Neva Architecture Intérieure.
“Because of the window, it was impossible to make the mezzanine extend all the way from one side of the room to the other … We therefore adapted its dimensions to a 140 x 200-centimetre bed. So we wouldn’t lose space at the foot of the mezzanine, we replaced the ceiling on the kitchen side to avoid the window, but in this way we also created a niche that is accessible from the bed.”
Size: 19 square metres
“We opened up the kitchen space and envisaged a bedroom corner in the mezzanine, placed as high as possible (at 2.3 metres) to pass comfortably overtop and to fit the dining corner underneath,” says Carnevali of Neva Architecture Intérieure.
“Because of the window, it was impossible to make the mezzanine extend all the way from one side of the room to the other … We therefore adapted its dimensions to a 140 x 200-centimetre bed. So we wouldn’t lose space at the foot of the mezzanine, we replaced the ceiling on the kitchen side to avoid the window, but in this way we also created a niche that is accessible from the bed.”
Your turn
Which of these small-space ideas could work in your home? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
More
Struggling with cramped quarters? A mezzanine might be just the ticket. Read more here with A Whole New Level: 10 Mezzanine Ideas to Look Up to
Which of these small-space ideas could work in your home? Tell us in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the conversation.
More
Struggling with cramped quarters? A mezzanine might be just the ticket. Read more here with A Whole New Level: 10 Mezzanine Ideas to Look Up to
Size: 9 square metres
“I put the bed by the window to redraw the space orthogonally and make it easier to forget the unpleasant geometry. My idea was to design a ‘chill out’ zone based on the habits of young people, who like to live lying down and no longer necessarily work at their desks,” says Sophie Graves of HomebOxcreation.