Apartment rue Jean de la Fontaine

The design challenge facing Olivia de Pazzis Hanemian and AIM Hanemian Architects was twofold: to renovate an apartment with a distinctive character of its own located in a block built by the architect Henri Sauvage while at the same time preserving the essential spirit and structure of the original creation.

The apartment is in fact a duplex and fitting a mirror to the whole of the entrance wall intensified the impression of length of the inside of the property. A slender mezzanine was added perpendicularly to the existing one and contributed further to this effect; it houses very practical book-shelving. The structure supporting this added mezzanine is also the frame for glass display shelving opening up visual access to the living-room area.

The original steel railings on the edge of the mezzanine have been modified: the lower half has now been encased and the top half alone consists of railings, three slim tubular bars 1930s style. The timber flooring has been revived, providing the warm unifying effect required by the considerable volume of the property.

In the mezzanine bedroom area trompe-l’oeil wallpaper has been used to create a lively baldachin effect around the bedstead. The original tiling has been kept in the bathroom but the matt burgundy color of the walls has been painted over in white to let the eye concentrate on the relief.

Thanks to this careful design makeover, the volume of this fine property has been enhanced while preserving the spirit of Henri Sauvage’s original creation.