The Gambetta apartment is located in an old hotel in Paris and is 12.75 square meters in size. Like many major cities in the world, real estate in Paris is increasingly expensive, so students or low-income people can only live in apartments like this.

The old design of the building had many unreasonable points such as the bathroom was too big blocking a window, the wardrobe was too big and the kitchen was too small. With the goal of maximizing the sense of space as well as the quality of life for the residents, the first thing the design team did was to demolish the bathroom wall.

Thanks to the small size and diagonal placement of the bathroom wall, the window is "returned" to the main living space, increasing the amount of light and wind entering the house.

The entire bathroom wall is covered in glass, making the apartment seem larger.

Amidst the glass walls, the bathroom door made of cedar wood seems to float in mid-air. The width of only 50 cm makes the door appear taller than its actual size.

In addition to renovating the bathroom, the design team arranged a multi-functional cabinet system.

This cabinet system is both a wardrobe and a bed, helping homeowners save space.

Small details are also taken care of to create a sense of spaciousness and compactness. For example, the cabinet handles are in the form of white spherical buttons.

The interior of the building mainly uses basic materials such as pine wood and raw concrete.

The design team also added a splash of color to liven up the apartment, making it suitable for young homeowners. For example, the kitchen cabinets are painted dark blue.

In the bathroom, blue wall tiles bring coolness.

With creative space management, the 12 m2 apartment fully meets the needs of the homeowner in the context of limited land and crowded population. The project was completed in 2021.

Thu Nguyet (According to ArchDaily)
Photo: Philippe Billard
Design: miogui