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Once home to beige carpets, flowery curtains, and a ladder mezzanine too narrow to sleep on, this Parisian apartment was ready for its next life. Architect Aurélien Duny gave it one with a healthy dose of rustic, Mediterranean charm.
“The bathroom and kitchen were in very small dark rooms with very little storage. There was a very narrow mezzanine that could be accessed using a ladder – it allowed for storing boxes, but it wasn’t suitable for sleeping.”
- Aurélien Duny, architect at DUNY Architecture
“The starting point for the layout was to make the space feel as open as possible and bring in as much natural light as we could.”
“What really makes the space special is how it blends Parisian and Mediterranean vibes.”
At 24sqm/258sqft – roughly the size of three side-by-side cars – this Parisian apartment is no stranger to feeling cramped. This was certainly the case when architect Aurélien Duny of DUNY Architecture first encountered the micro unit, housed in a nineteenth-century former Catholic school. Time had done what time does best – worn it down: old beige carpets lined the floors, dirt lined the walls, and flowery curtains closed off light from its three windows.
Yet, today the home – just a block away from Luxembourg Garden – feels light, open, and functional, which is exactly what the clients had hoped for. With a vision of a home for their child to live, study, and work in Paris, they knew they wanted something “bright and highly functional, with a contemporary design,” Duny explains. The architect instantly knew this called for a light-filled, modern space that also echoed their Mediterranean roots. And the result delivers exactly that: a cleverly compact apartment with all the essentials of a larger home – a dining area, private sleeping nook, and a fully equipped kitchen for hosting.
Duny began by stripping the apartment down to its bones: removing the mezzanine, carpets, and wall coverings, and adding insulation. “The original layout had an enclosed entrance,” explains architect Aurélien Duny. “The bathroom and kitchen were in very small, dark rooms with very little storage. There was a very narrow mezzanine that could be accessed using a ladder – it allowed for storing boxes, but it wasn’t suitable for sleeping.” The bathroom near the entry was knocked out to create an open kitchen, while the old kitchen was transformed into a toilet and storage column. What might sound like subtraction was actually an addition – the cleared space allowed for new layers of function and flexibility to be built in.
Rather than relying on rigid walls, Duny used a series of curved partitions, each at different heights, to divide the apartment into distinct yet connected zones. Each has its role. One curve cradles the sleeping nook, a raised platform bed with large storage underneath – enough to tuck away bulky suitcases and yoga mats while still leaving room to stand and move comfortably. Another defines the bathroom and walk-in closet, allowing partitions to filter light without blocking it. “The starting point for the layout was to make the space feel as open as possible and bring in as much natural light as we could,” Duny tells us.
The new layout created functionality, but the choice of textures and materials created charm and personality. “The idea was to bring a countryside in Paris feeling, something authentic, but still refined,” the architect says. “What really makes the space special is how it blends Parisian and Mediterranean vibes.” And we’re talking seaside-on-a-Greek-island level of Mediterranean vibes. In the living room, Duny created a plaster bench finished in micro-cement that serves as seating, storage, bookshelf, or desk depending on the occasion. A round dining table just beyond it is crafted in the same material. Together, these forms extend the Mediterranean warmth into the heart of the Parisian apartment, while original timber beams and natural stone tiles ground it firmly in French country tradition. The same tiles continue into the kitchen countertop and backsplash, giving the home a unified tone with one seamless, rustic character.
Duny’s guiding motto – “minimalism and more” – means keeping things simple, elegant, and highly practical, while still creating a sense of comfort and character. This apartment does exactly that. With Parisian beams, Mediterranean plaster, and material nods to the countryside, it proves that even 24sqm can feel detailed without clutter. “Every era of construction has flaws that need to be corrected,” Duny says. “A good renovation makes living in existing homes much better, so people don’t have to move far away from the city centre to find a nice place to live.”
