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In the lively Notre-Dame-de-Lorette neighborhood in Paris’s 9th arrondissement, a 30-something couple embarked on a home renovation adventure: transforming a former office into a warm and functional apartment. The property in a Haussmann-style building was their first purchase and it required a complete overhaul to incorporate two additions essential to making it into a home: a kitchen and bathroom.

In the living room, a pendant lamp with a rice paper shade by Hay and a Lali armchair by Sklum. A photograph by Tomás Amorim rests on the mantle.

For this ambitious project, the couple called on Atelier 1060, a Parisian architecture firm founded in 2022 by Fanny Boquien and Victoire Sebaux. The agency’s name refers to the postal code of the Saint-Gilles neighborhood, in Brussels, where the two founders met while attending the architecture school at the Institut Saint-Luc. It serves as a reminder of the origins of their partnership as well as the spirit that drives their work. The rigorous education at Saint-Luc deeply influenced Boquien and Sebaux, leading them to see construction challenges not as constraints, but as invaluable opportunities in the creative process. This philosophy is reflected in all of the agency’s projects, which strive for a subtle balance between a rigorous concern with structure alongside creative and inspired designs. With this project, the studio’s approach allowed them to accentuate the Haussmann-era details of the apartment while creating a more efficient space.

The shelves are mounted on tangerine-colored half-cylinders, custom-designed by Atelier 1060. An Artemide Nessino lamp echoes this bright orange, and in the background, the principal bedroom’s storage units feature Bonnemazou-Cambus half-moon handles, also in a similar hue.

One of the major challenges of the transformation was to accommodate some of the quirks of the original Haussmannian design while making the apartment contemporary and efficient. The plumbing was all located on one side of the unit, requiring some creative thinking to integrate new installations without compromising the aesthetics of the space. The project took advantage of the existing circulation of the living areas while removing certain elements to highlight the visual depth of the adjoining rooms. Openwork shelves, integrated into the entrance, maintained this impression of spaciousness while adding a modern touch.

An opening between the principal bedroom and the guest bedroom/office continues one of apartment’s design themes with its tangerine-colored frame.

To create a space that makes a break with the traditional design of many apartments in Paris, the agency chose to introduce 1970s pop elements including orange accents that punctuate each room. Rounded elements contrast with the rigid lines of the Haussmann-era design, while the color orange appears throughout the apartment, including on the half-moon handles in the kitchen, entrance, and bedroom. All were designed by Bonnemazou-Cambus and are painted in a vibrant tangerine hue. The rounded shape is also found in other elements of the apartment: quarter-circle storage units, the half-moon marble slab in the kitchen, and the curves of the bench in the breakfast area. These rounded, colorful accents introduce a refreshing dynamic and infuse the apartment with its own eclectic personality, while also highlighting the characteristic features of the Haussmann style (including moldings, right angles, and geometric parquet flooring). This bold approach creates a dialogue between the past and the present, between classic elegance and vibrant modernity. It’s also a conversation between color and its absence, between straight lines and curves.

A storage space with a quarter-circle shape and an opening that leads to the living room bring fluidity and light to this interior part of the apartment.

In order to stay within their budget, the owners opted for an ingenious and economical solution using IKEA dressers and cabinet bodies for storage and in the kitchen. This allowed them to create a bespoke space while staying within their budget. By using items from IKEA, the couple was able to benefit from the brand’s modular and functional options. This flexibility allowed them to explore different configurations and at the same time make the most efficient use possible of the space they had to work with. Once fitted with custom fronts from the Spanish brand Cubro, the cabinets blended harmoniously into the decor, combining the elegance of a noble, refined material with the simplicity and efficiency that is typical of IKEA. In the process standard storage elements have been transformed into unique pieces that are perfectly suited to the apartment’s aesthetic.

In the kitchen, a stainless-steel pendant light by Studio Kuhlmann illuminates a custom orange table designed by Atelier 1060. The half-moon handles in the kitchen, hallway, and bedroom are by Bonnemazou-Cambus and finished in a custom RAL color.

The end result is an apartment that combines classic elegance with bold modernity; it’s a unique home in the heart of Paris. This project is a true source of inspiration for anyone who wishes to transform an awkward and challenging space into a warm and personalized one. It’s evidence that innovation and a respect for a home’s history and heritage can coexist harmoniously.

A granite semi-circle placed above the worktop echoes the curves of the apartment. The black-and-white photograph is by Tomás Amorim.

Atelier 1060 has developed a reputation for being committed to innovation while respecting the context and history of the projects that they design. They strive to create spaces that interact harmoniously with their surroundings, integrating the aspirations of clients with the specific and unique characteristics of each environment through every phase of the design process. By offering its clients truly flexible options, Atelier 1060 excels in bespoke designs, expanding the range of stylistic possibilities as they adapt solutions to different situations. In this project, this has resulted in a reimagined floor plan and a playful and expressive look. Fanny Boquien and Victoire Sebaux’s design is a veritable laboratory of ideas where the practical and the poetic come together in a project that is truly suited to this moment.

The IKEA decor hacks that helped transformed this home were originally published in AD France.