Interior designer Alexandra Busagol invested with her family in an apartment on the top floor of building 16.e Paris region. A former artist’s studio where he brought floods of light.
Alexandra Busagol was not always an interior designer. He had an early career in market finance. But in 2017, he changed course and decided to let the creative mind that had been bubbling inside him since he was a teenager speak for itself. He feels the urge to turn around. He joined an adult training course at the École Boulle and devoted himself to landscaping for nine months. After completing this course, the first customer introduces himself. it’s his former boss. From there, projects follow one another. Its strong point. His ability to respond accurately and quickly to the client’s expectations, to organize and anticipate to avoid any stress. His style? Warm elegance with a hint of masculinity, sophisticated silhouette. Between the two projects, however, he finds time to devote himself. apartment in the spirit of an artist’s studio, 16e An area of Paris that he has transformed into a breathtaking space.
The starting point
“The apartment is located in a very bucolic neighborhood 16e district In the past, there were orchards, orange trees, vineyards… The buildings in this area were built at the end of the 19th century, and the upper floor housed an artist’s studio with high ceilings and a monumental canopy. That’s obviously what I loved about this space. But once we got it, there was a lot to do to bring it back to its ‘splendour’. It was built in a very basic way, especially with a very long and narrow kitchen. There was a mezzanine in the main room, which stifled and weighed down the space. There was also a wooden spiral staircase that didn’t look very sturdy and unrefined. But the potential and the charm were there.”
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Living room
“The room is not very big, it is 35 m². But at first glance, you might think he’s 50 years old. The secrets. I raised the ceiling height by raising the mezzanine by 30 cm. I also enlarged the opening to the living room by removing the existing double door to take advantage of the natural light in the apartment. So we see the kitchen / dining room in perspective. I also changed the old staircase. I had a staircase with no elevators to take advantage of the view of the glass roof when going up or down. All this allows you to see the living room as a whole and therefore be aware of the proportions. However, I kept the original hardwood flooring which was very nice. We just sanded it and glazed it in a natural shade. »
The kitchen
“I put it in the old library next to the living room. Blended seamlessly into the space. It is a real living space, as it also serves as a dining room. It is also a place where you can do homework, meet… It communicates with the living room. There is no door, to develop the sense of space. But, on the other hand, I added a sliding glass roof between these two rooms, which allows you to close and avoid smell or noise without dividing.
Parental suite
“It is a newer project. We installed it in a 35m² space we bought later and which we connected to the apartment by opening an opening on the corridor, which is now a TV lounge and remote work area. To get to the master suite you have to go through the mezzanine. I thought of it as a hotel suite, with a loft-effect bedroom on the right side of the door. It’s not too big, but it’s on the cozy side. It has the advantage of facing a very quiet garden. It is divine. There was a storage room under the attic. I decided to remove them to let as much light in as possible. The headboard is an important element with both eucalyptus panels and a Havana lacquered part, these two niches that have sockets and where you can place your books. Both suspensions bring poetry and serenity. They are like two suspended balloons.’
Dressing room
“As you enter the bedroom, there is a custom walnut dressing room in front with a brushed upright. It was truly designed down to the millimeter. I was counting everything, the number of suits and my husband’s socks… I had to optimize the space, but this dressing room is a real luxury. There, too, I wanted to play with transparency because there is a window, so I chose a glass door as a refraction to the light.
The bathroom
“To the left as you enter the bedroom is the bathroom with a luxury bath and a shower behind. In the bathroom, you feel like you are on an island with an endless view of the hills and sky of western Paris. The tiles imitate Ceppo di Gré, a magnificent stone that has become very rare. For the sink part, I chose genuine Italian Fior di Bosco marble. The fittings are brushed brass and there is a cabinet in smoked eucalyptus. I chose to hang it because the room is not big. The clever thing about this room is that we have hidden the hot water tank in the attic. We found the right size ball and so the space is soft, without technical details.
A teenager’s room
“Like all teenagers, mine has a big wardrobe. So I had to manage to find a place for it while creating a comfortable workspace. All this with 160 beds. A challenge as it is a 15m² room on the first level. So I created a bridge around the bed with a wardrobe on the right, a cupboard, drawers, shelves on the left and storage for games and sports equipment above. We worked on the curves to have something softer than the wardrobe. There, too, as in my bedroom, I provided alcoves on each side to hide sockets and stack books. The bottom is covered with a fabric that resembles a sunrise or sunset. There’s also a flamed oak shelf to hold frames and photos and two pendant lights to light the bed on either side. The desk is placed in front of the bed, in front of the window facing the garden.
Contact: Alexandra Busagol, Architecture and Interiors
Source: Le Figaro
