12 Design Ideas for a Tiny Apartment from Paris Interior Designer Marianne Evennou
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There are certain tricks Paris interior designer Marianne Evennou has made her own. She has a daring approach to color and always paints rooms in more than one hue: “colors,” she says, “are like musical notes—they’re all good, you just have to adjust them to make a nice melody.” And she never fails to find a wall that could benefit from an interior window. Every project she takes on is rigorously ordered and easy to identify as hers—and yet never fails to feel singular and inspiring.
A perfect example is this Saint Germain des Près apartment that she remodeled for Xavier and Chelo, a couple who are based in Barcelona but come to Paris frequently. A mere 25 square meters (269 square feet), it was a one-room shoebox that Evennou describes as something like a dorm: “the kitchen was in the entrance and all the activities had to take place in the same room.” Rather than leaving the apartment wide open, as one might expect given the lack of space, Evennou filled it with life and charm by compartmentalizing it. Here are 12 design lessons learned from this Paris pied-à-terre.
Photography by Stephan Julliard, courtesy of Marianne Evennou.
1. It’s worth carving out an entry.
Above Even when space is at a premium Evennou advocates for an arrival spot to create a transition between the outside world and your private sphere and to offer a place to stow coats bags and shoes The tropical wallpaper is from Ananbô They have a large choice of panoramiques a very efficient way to make an entrance personal<span id=ezoic pub ad placeholder 868 class=ezoic adpicker ad style=displayblockimportantfloatnoneline height0margin bottom15pximportantmargin left0importantmargin right0importantmargin top15pximportantmax width100importantmin height400pxmin width580pxpadding top15pximportanttext aligncenterimportant>
Evennou figured out how to reorganize the setup by downsizing the bathroom: “This enabled me to change a one-room apartment into a real apartment with different spaces. We have now an entrance, a kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom with a desk. The price for this reorganization is a smaller bathroom, but just as efficient as the previous one.”
2. Use bands of color to add depth and nuance.
Above Evennou points out that rooms are much dynamic when you use more than one shade of paint In this project she used a palette of foggy blues and delineated the spaces by painting them in different tones I treat the colors like imaginary borders so each space feels like a specific world she tells us Thats how I push back the walls in a small space and prevent it from feeling like a narrow box<span id=ezoic pub ad placeholder 872 class=ezoic adpicker ad>
All of the paints are from French line Ressource, which is now available in the US. Note the colored ceilings: “The ceiling is like the sky,” says Evennou. “Don’t you find that always seeing a white or gray sky is boring?
3. Downsize your kitchen components (but don’t skimp on storage).
Above To keep the space from feeling crowded Evennou stocked it with above and below counter cabinets and compact appliances including an induction cooktop a wall oven and under counter fridge On the entry side she even fit in a washing machine concealed behind a door
The café table and folding chairs are from Maison Gatti. For more sourcing ideas, see 10 Easy Pieces: French Bistro Chairs, High to Low.
4. Display beautiful objects and hide the rest.
Above Plentiful enclosed storage enables the owners to be selective about what goes on the open shelves Evennou advocates editing out the extraneous and in small space choosing only useful and at the same time beautiful stuffAbove The ceramics are by Parisian artist Catherine Magdelaine I like to have art in all the rooms especially the kitchen says Evennou<span id=ezoic pub ad placeholder 874 class=ezoic adpicker ad style=displayblockimportantfloatnoneline height0margin bottom15pximportantmargin left0importantmargin right0importantmargin top15pximportantmax width100importantmin height400pxmin width580pxpadding top15pximportanttext aligncenterimportant>
5. Invite the eye to travel.
Above As mentioned Evennou loves interior windowswe have yet to see a project of hers that doesnt incorporate inside glazing And every example sells us all the more why dont we all introduce indoor vistas In this formerly dark apartment custom steel framed interior windows draw light into every room and theres also a balcony
6. Combine built-ins with flexible furniture.
Above A banquet that opens up as a bed plus flexible furniturepieces that can move around and serve as seating or side tables or fold upenable the apartment to have a nook size living room The Oak and Straw Stools are from Ailleurs Paris and the rug is from Kilims ADA<span id=ezoic pub ad placeholder 876 class=ezoic adpicker ad style=displayblockimportantfloatnoneline height0margin bottom15pximportantmargin left0importantmargin right0importantmargin top15pximportantmax width100importantmin height90pxmin width728pxpadding top15pximportanttext aligncenterimportant>
Another space saver: energy-efficient under-floor heating. Evennou added it before the chevron-patterned oak parquet floors were installed.
7. Multiple light sources make a room feel bigger.
Above Lighting introduces optical depth says Evennou Here she paired sconcesAtelier Aretis Sliver Wall Lightswith a patterned and fringed ceiling light from Maisons du Monde<span id=ezoic pub ad placeholder 877 class=ezoic adpicker ad>
8. A bathroom doesn’t have to be big to do its job.
Above Evennou says that organizing a small space is about finding the right balance for all the indispensable activities sleeping relaxing eating working and washing up The bathroom she points out doesnt need to be spacious to be efficient<span id=ezoic pub ad placeholder 878 class=ezoic adpicker ad style=displayblockimportantfloatnoneline height0margin bottom15pximportantmargin left0importantmargin right0importantmargin top15pximportantmax width100importantmin height90pxmin width728pxpadding top15pximportanttext aligncenterimportant>
“The tinier it is,” Evennou adds, “the more important it is to make it look nice by working on the small details, such as storage under the sink, a good light, a place to hang towels, and a niche in the shower for the soap and shampoo.” Here, Evennou went with a black-and-white theme. The tiles are Moroccan zellige with a border that she cleverly also used to frame the mirror. Note the linen window shade set off in black.
9. Rather than taking down walls create indoor vistas.
Above Views from one room to the next make the small spaces feel much more open Both the gaze and the light can escape and push back the walls says Evennou Here a glimpse into the bedroom which has a linen shade The black Bakelite light switches are an Evennou favorite by German brand THPG<span id=ezoic pub ad placeholder 879 class=ezoic adpicker ad>
10. Stripes add order.
Above The underpinning of structure in the apartment partly comes from the fact that all of the patterned surfaces are striped The blanket and Raana cushions on the bed and in the living room are from Caravane<span id=ezoic pub ad placeholder 880 class=ezoic adpicker ad style=displayblockimportantfloatnoneline height0margin bottom15pximportantmargin left0importantmargin right0importantmargin top15pximportantmax width100importantmin height90pxmin width728pxpadding0text aligncenterimportant>
Note that for visual interest, the bands of paint color in the bedroom are the reverse of what they are in the living room: “‘This helps to both distinguish and link the two spaces,” Evennou told British House and Garden.
11. A desk can be slotted into a tiny spot.
Above Evennou always finds a place for a desk and notes that built ins take up very little space This one is slotted between two wardrobes that also conceal the water heater
12. Small rooms can be more exciting than open space.
Above Open spaces are the default these daysand often for good reason But taking down walls neednt always be the solution Thanks to Evennous masterful planning this tiny apartment feels both cozy and dynamic and like a true retreat You have the impression of moving around rather than being stuck in a box
Take a look at three more Marianne Evennou projects:
For small-space ideas, also see:
9 Design Ideas to Steal from a Tiny Paris Apartment
