In Search of Simplicity
Brothers and architectural duo Pierre and François Voirin of Frères Voirin take what they describe as a “rustic” approach to design: “We like to design honest spaces without too many moving parts so that they retain their simplicity and ease of use” François told Never Too Small. This ethos is on full display in their recent project CAPSULE, a 25sqm/269sqft apartment in the centre of Paris. Formerly two distinct studio units on the upper floor of a late 19th century residential building, the micro apartment is a study on how to live large in small spaces.
When the client contacted Frères Voirin, they had been using one of these small top-floor studios as an office, while the other had sat unoccupied. There were no bathrooms or kitchens between the two spaces – let alone the plumbing – and they weren’t in the best condition. Pierre and François saw potential. A high window and skylight indicated that the low ceiling might be hiding some extra height, so, along with the dividing wall between the two units, the ceiling, too, came down (or, at least a part of it). Just like that, they had an extra one metre of vertical height to work with, allowing them to expand the footprint with a partial second storey.
Small but Separated
The bonus space provided by the second storey became pivotal to the brothers’ ability to create semblances of rooms, which is what ultimately differentiates this design from your typical Parisian apartment according to Pierre: “Most small Parisian apartments give you the impression that you’re always in the same room—that the kitchen is mixed with the living room, is mixed with the bedroom, is mixed with the bathroom. We wanted to separate these spaces by really giving them character, so it feels like you’re not living in the same room all the time”. Accordingly, the kitchen, a toilet, and the living room are segmented across the lower floor, while more private activities like sleeping, showering, and dressing are relegated to the upstairs space. This careful arrangement of function-based planning is also what gave the apartment its name: CAPSULE.
Much of the space was coloured with light neutral tones to keep it feeling tranquil and adaptable, but it is not without its quirks. Some favourites include the custom paintings on the kitchen cabinets (painted by François himself), the groovy and moveable three-panel partition, the unfinished structural columns, and the asymmetrical bookshelf. These little details help express the personality of the client, who is a screenwriter for French cinema and a lover of art and architecture. And it is all part of the brothers’ master plan for creating a fully functional small home that truly feels good for the user: “Every object is designed for one purpose, every space is super optimised to consume the least amount of space … We feel that better design means better living, and that thoughtful planning improves the way you interact with your space”.
