Lines and contours

Paris

lieu :: paris
date :: 2025
type :: apartment

A 200m² apartment on the top floor of a Parisian building

This apartment is nestled on the top floor of a magnificent Haussmannian building in the 16th arrondissement. The bones were excellent: generous volumes, a well-proportioned entrance gallery, light, and a view over the sky and the rooftops of Paris. Unfortunately, it had undergone a number of alterations that did it no favours. False ceilings had hidden the plaster cornices. The air conditioning was highly visible. Some spaces were very narrow and fell short of the standard expected. So we decided to start from scratch, guided by a common thread of simple, refined lines and noble, understated materials — creating a setting that is pleasant to live in, ergonomic, restful and harmonious.

Living room with cream sofas, marble fireplace and colorful art – apartment in Paris, by Cotrel Studio, interior designer

The grand living space with Art Deco touches

The main living space comprises a salon and a dining room. The salon is arranged around the fireplace. In the dining room, the bookcase takes centre stage. Its niches are lined with antiqued mirrors, heightening depth and light. The central niche showcases works of art from our clients’ private collection. On the other side of the gallery, echoing the wine cellar, another unexpected room was installed: a daring dressing room!

The thresholds between the different spaces are finished in Carrara marble, executed in an Art Deco style whose finesse suited both the building’s era and the look we were after. As the apartment’s original decorative features were missing, it was fascinating for us to recreate a complete universe. That is how we came to design the fireplace, installed by our craftsmen from our own drawings.

Entry hall with herringbone parquet, black-framed glass doors and wine cellar – apartment in Paris

Living room with cream daybed, yellow painting and marble fireplace – apartment in Paris

Living room with taupe armchairs, herringbone parquet and sheer curtains – apartment in Paris

Detail of stepped cornice and molded door frame – apartment in Paris

Detail of stepped veined white marble fireplace, art deco style – apartment in Paris

Living room open to dining area with custom walnut bookcase – apartment in Paris

Living space with walnut bookcase, cane chairs and red painting – apartment in Paris

Dining area with walnut bookcase, cane chairs and marble archway – apartment in Paris

Dining room beneath a large red painting, cane and wood chairs – apartment in Paris

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The kitchen, bathed in light

The kitchen’s location was a great subject of debate. Two options lay before us: the first, a more enclosed and intimate space; the second, a much larger, open space at the cost of a dining room. The second option prevailed: making this kitchen a family space, used every day, and equally suited to entertaining guests.

Everyday life was favoured over once-a-year occasions. The kitchen remains highly practical day to day, since an adjoining, more technical space houses the less sightly appliances. A majestic wine cellar was also created between the kitchen and the living room. It forms a connecting thread between the two zones, provides extra storage and a place to unwind. Visually, it ties the whole together and reinforces the harmony.

Kitchen with center island, stained-glass window and burgundy arch – apartment in Paris

Greige kitchen with walnut table, wooden chairs and colorful artwork – apartment in Paris

Detail of burgundy painted arch and walnut kitchen table – apartment in Paris

Kitchen with two burgundy arches, stepped cornice and framed artwork – apartment in Paris

Glass-walled wine cellar with red walls, seen from the marble hallway – apartment in Paris

Red-walled wine cellar with bottle display case and curved sofa – apartment in Paris

Detail of a light wood cane chair against a red wall – apartment in Paris

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Bedrooms designed in the same spirit

The master suite continues in the same vein as these spaces. Light brought to the fore, quality of materials... In the bedroom as in the bathroom, an Art Deco style adapted to our times can be read in the cornices, the treatment of the marble, the use of brass. The children’s bathrooms, for their part, are more colourful and more vivid — without ever compromising on the quality of the materials or their timelessness!

Bedroom with beige channel-tufted headboard, cane bench and parquet – apartment in Paris

Detail of ribbed fabric headboard, blue throw and colorful portrait – apartment in Paris

Bedroom opening onto the bathroom, walnut vanity and linen curtain – apartment in Paris

Bathroom with double marble sinks, walnut vanity and brass faucets – apartment in Paris

Bathroom seen from the bedroom, walnut vanity and herringbone parquet – apartment in Paris

Bathroom with veined marble shower, brass trim and fixtures – apartment in Paris

Walk-in shower in veined white marble with brass-edged glass door – apartment in Paris

Veined white marble shower with built-in bench and brass rain head – apartment in Paris

Detail of veined marble shower with brass fixtures and hand shower – apartment in Paris

Beige bedroom with fabric headboard, round rug and parquet floor – apartment in Paris

Beige bathroom with freestanding tub, pink washbasin and oval mirror – apartment in Paris

Bathroom with green terrazzo, green washbasin and wall niches – apartment in Paris

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The bespoke dressing room

The “dressoir”... that is surely what this room would have been called a century ago! It is in fact the gentleman’s dressing room, which also includes a sitting area and a study corner. The fronts are treated like display cases, transforming the room when the light is on. The materials evoke a playful little salon — or a boudoir.

Walnut walk-in closet with lit glass cabinets, marble island and desk – apartment in Paris

Walk-in closet with white marble island, walnut desk and cream chair – apartment in Paris

Detail of walnut closet with glass shoe cabinet and rounded shelf – apartment in Paris