Small space living is a common occurrence in the Paris, where a tiny square footage is far from unusual. And it’s not just in the French capital—but the entire country—that designers and architects have creative approaches to making a minimal amount of space into a charming home. Here, we zoom in on five spaces under 600 square feet, where the alcove bedrooms take coziness to the next level and demonstrate that even the smallest nooks can be sleek and soothing.
Thanks to the use of surprising solid colors and materials, Heju Studio has added a touch of soul to a somewhat drab flat, transforming it into a sensual interior that manages to be both exotic and relaxing. The bedroom has a Mediterranean feel, with its arched alcove incorporating a headboard and shelves.
Interior designers Rebecca Bénichou and Florence Jallet, of the Batiik Studio, wanted to make this Paris apartment feel like a holiday home. They succeeded in their goal thanks to a renovation with gentle, soothing Mediterranean accents. An arch with curtains provides privacy in the sleeping area without closing off the space. “I hate doors,” admits Rebecca. “I avoid them whenever possible, and this arch brings a Mediterranean note to the room.”
Beginning with an old-fashioned two-room apartment overlooking Paris’s Buttes-Chaumont Park, the OUI Studio has created a small space with a fluid, open-plan layout that’s bright, functional, and charming. The sleeping area is in its own elevated niche, giving the impression of a little cocoon. The room incorporates storage units at the foot of the small steps, in the headboard, and on the left-hand wall.
The team at Jaune dusted off a dark, poorly laid-out ground-floor studio and turned it into a warm, modern pied-à-terre. The bedroom is tucked away, in a discreet corner of the unit. The large curtain, sourced from Holland & Sherry, was the starting point for the project. Its amber hue, resembling an aged cognac, was used as a base color for the tones of the studio. It was the strong element around which the rest of the home’s interior design was built.
The architects at Alliot + Maudet turned a small single-story house with a roof terrace facing the beach into an appealing retreat. Blurring the boundaries between living and sleeping areas, they created pleasant spaces that emphasize the color and texture of different materials and especially how they appear in the Mediterranean sunlight. With the curtains closed, the sleeping area becomes an inviting cocoon while its whitewashed, lightly textured walls (found throughout the house) provide a more luminous, silky feel.
