Situated on the first floor of a six-story Père-Lachaise building, architects Ronan Le Grand and Konrad Steffensen of Corpus Studio have reworked a compact Parisian pied-à-terre into a remarkable example of the transformative potential of considered design.
The apartment, just 350 square feet, was once divided into five disconnected, unimaginably small rooms. The architects’ solution was radical yet pragmatic: “Our approach was to push all the built elements to the margins of the apartment, freeing up the living area,” says Steffensen. Cabinetry and furniture now tuck into corners, bespoke benches sit beneath each window, and a wood-framed glass partition divides living and sleeping while allowing ambient light to filter through. A restrained palette and original oak flooring set an understated tone, while the building’s art deco and Haussmannian style lend a sense of place. Twentieth-century design pieces pair with flea market finds, adding a modest layer of eclecticism and personality throughout. The result is a small apartment made generous—reimagined for modern living.
Photography by François Coquerel courtesy of Corpus Studio.
The living area is painted with Ecorce Grise V18 from Argile Peinture. To the original oak floors, Steffensen notes, “we had to do quite a bit of restoration work and redo a lot of connections where all the partition walls previously stood.”
For more from Corpus Studio, see our posts:
- An Eclectic Composition in a Parisian Townhouse from Corpus Studio
- A Paris Apartment with Artful, Architectural Interventions from Corpus Studio
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