Head to Rue Jacob in Paris for a style lesson with architect Marie Derudille. A pro shares his secrets for turning a small, dark apartment into a charming, light-flooded one-bedroom apartment.
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Architect Marie Derudilhe is celebrating the 10th anniversary of her agency this year. From the beginning, the poetic style of the woman, who is also an interior designer, attracted people such as Alain Ducasse and Christophe Michalak, who entrusted her with the design of their restaurants or the development of their home codes. This artist cut her teeth in London with Terence Conran and worked for five years at the Patrick Jouin agency, where she developed a sense of detail, an interest in design and a passion for craftsmanship, which allows her to master the outline as well. because crude or futuristic and trivial approaches. It’s no wonder that his private clients hear his name… To understand how his sensibility and his taste for enlightened minimalism are expressed, you only have to let him talk about one of his projects.
The starting point
“I work a lot through word of mouth, and this was the case once again for the 36 m² Carez Law in this small apartment. I prepared an apartment for a client, a comedian author, on the Rue Jacob in Paris. And it was he who recommended me to his best friend, with whom he works, and who had also just bought on Jacob Street, to facilitate their cooperation. The place was charming, under the roof, with a very Parisian feel, with a beautiful view of the St. Germain des Prés church, the floor tiles… But the ceiling height was very low. Therefore, our task was to visually restore as much volume as possible by breaking up the false ceilings, which included insulating the roof while allowing the frame to breathe. We should have brought light by creating new windows.”
the entrance
“It is painted in a glossy dark color that gives the impression of water. The choice of a dark color emphasizes the transition with the next room, the living room-kitchen-dining room, which is larger and more open. It is a form of framing, scenography, landscape change that punctuates circulation. In this entrance there is a staircase that leads to the toilets. At first it was a wooden ladder. We turned it into a masonry staircase with waxed concrete. The bathroom door is in a very expensive and patinated mirror. it gives a sense of space and depth.
Kitchen area
“It was not easy to create a real kitchen in this main room. the area was reduced and under slope. But we succeeded! We chose a desk, a credenza with a shelf, in brass, a material that brings warmth through its patina and also acts as a mirror, reflecting light. It inspires a feeling of lightness. We hid the refrigerator in a medium-sized black cabinet, a kind of box, which was placed on the other side of the kitchen. It’s a narrow piece of furniture designed for more plates, but it hides a deep alcove that we used to house a large refrigerator. This choice also freed up space for the desktop. For the floor, we chose herringbone parquet, stained and waxed.
Living room and dining room
“The presence of a punching bag was among our client’s requirements. We hung it on a rail along the ridge, which allows you to slide it to the center of the room, like in sports halls. We were interested in the fireplace. Should I keep it? Sometimes older buildings have too many of them and we remove some. Sometimes they have disappeared and we have to hunt them down to reconnect with the history of the place. Here, despite the reduced space, we wanted to preserve it, because for us it is the soul of wild Paris. To increase the size of the window where the dog sits, we framed it with mirrors. It also allows you to reflect the views that can be admired from the sofa or the kitchen. It’s simple and works well.
Bedroom
“We finished the bedroom in light gray cement concrete and created a skylight that lets in extra light. It is very pleasant because we enjoy the sun all day. We made the bed luxurious by building a podium for it. This makes it possible to have a bed that is not too high and, therefore, does not increase the volume. We then optimized the entire space by placing storage where possible under slopes, in corners and alcoves.”
after
The bathroom
“To access this open bathroom, you have to pass through the bedroom and pass under a rounded semi-arch, which we designed taking advantage of the beam below. I love roundness, it is found in all my projects. Maybe because it’s reassuring, it adds softness and warmth to my minimalist style. The sink basin is made of marble and overlooks a small structural podium through which we enter the bathroom with a glass-enclosed shower with a marble bench, an element that our client loved. The bathroom was originally deeper, but we used the bottom to create a mini laundry hidden behind the door. Its reduced width can accommodate a washing machine, tumble dryer, and we’ve added a radiator and hooks to hang robes and towels.”
Marie Deroudilhe Agency, 100 rue de la Folie-Méricourt, 75011 Paris.
Source: Le Figaro
