A modernist duplex overlooking the rooftops of Paris

This apartment is a duplex perched on the 19th and 20th floors of a 1960s building. Its configuration: few load-bearing walls, but technical columns, window bays and terraces that constrain the layout. The plan was settled fairly quickly: a large living space on the west side, the bedrooms to the east. The upper floor would then be devoted to entertainment — a bar, a cinema, all complemented by two large terraces.

Dining room with black oval table, walnut door and white pendant light – apartment in Paris, by Cotrel Studio, interior designer

Living room with slatted wood ceiling, terrazzo floor and black bookcase – apartment in Paris

Dining room opening onto a picture window overlooking the rooftops – apartment in Paris

White kitchen with gray marble backsplash and fluted walnut island – apartment in Paris

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The living quarters

For the renovation of this Parisian apartment, we set out to absorb the spirit of the place, its history, its view. In parallel, we naturally had to understand the clients — their world, their way of living, their tastes. We have been interior architects in Paris for more than ten years, so the quintessentially Parisian architecture of Baron Haussmann's era is deeply familiar to us. But our craft is above all about making a style our own and keeping it coherent throughout a project. Here, no cornices, no mouldings, no flourishes. The shell was pared back, so the style was too.

Walnut, a wood species particularly well suited to fitted joinery, runs throughout this project. We wanted it anchored in our own time while honouring the codes of the sixties. The kitchen thus reads as a "stage backdrop", connecting to the dining room through a large bookcase that also links to the entrance gallery. While the design is pared back, the materials are noble, natural and warm — like the Colonial White granite found on the worktop, the splashback and in the fitted niches.

White kitchen, gray marble wall with open shelves and cane-back stool – apartment in Paris

Minimalist kitchen with white cabinets and fluted walnut-clad island – apartment in Paris

Kitchen seen through the walnut doorframe, gray marble backsplash – apartment in Paris

Close-up of a gray marble niche framed in walnut with sake bottles – apartment in Paris

Hallway with mineral gray walls, walnut doors and black spiral staircase – apartment in Paris

Home office seen through a walnut doorframe, graphic gray wallpaper – apartment in Paris

Desk facing the window, slatted wood ceiling and terrazzo floor – apartment in Paris

Fluted terracotta bar with green stools and slatted wood ceiling – apartment in Paris

Close-up of the fluted terracotta bar, cactus and pendant under slatted ceiling – apartment in Paris

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The choice of parquet mattered too. This is neither a loft nor an industrial-inspired space. The codes are those of a warm apartment that could have stepped straight out of an Alvar Aalto building. With this in mind, we chose a light oak parquet, barely treated, in rather narrow boards.

The lighting also received particular attention. Very bright apartments like this one are not the easiest to light: the backlighting caused by the daylight outside has to be taken into account, so real power is required. But the aesthetics of the fixtures themselves are just as essential. Above the kitchen island, the recessed track is discreet yet highly effective; its fittings can be repositioned along the track, which is fully integrated and concealed in the ceiling. Above the dining table, the pendant is more decorative — Scandinavian-inspired, yet with the modernity we were after.

White kitchen with gray marble wall, walnut island and cane-back stools – apartment in Paris

Open dining area with custom walnut bookcase and black table – apartment in Paris

The night quarters

Across the gallery lie the bedrooms, master and child. Walnut takes pride of place once again, composing all the dressing rooms and the headboard. A wall covering by Hermès and a scattering of plants soften the whole. The master bathroom is treated in a very light, luminous palette. The bathtub faces a magnificent, unobstructed open-sky view, overlooked by the shower area and separated by a glass screen.

A marble spiral staircase leads to the apartment's upper floor: one great volume, graced by two large terraces. We created a space that blends cinema room, entertaining and relaxation. The terrazzo floor, typical of the period, is warmed by a ceiling of oak battens laid over acoustic felt. The bar was crafted in the manner of a hotel bar, with its mirrored back, stone top and ceramic cladding.

Finally, a niche was fitted out as a study area, its modest size magnificently offset by that view over all of Paris! The walls were painted with a trowelled lime finish by Ressource. Its texture enlivens the large planes of colour while preserving the modernity and pared-back style we were seeking. The furniture was chosen with the clients. Audio and video were integrated with subtlety, so that technology never intrudes on the decor.

Bedroom with picture window over the rooftops and olive velvet armchair – apartment in Paris

Bedroom with floor-to-ceiling walnut closets and light wood floor – apartment in Paris

Bathroom seen from the bedroom, white marble, walnut and green armchair – apartment in Paris

White marble bathroom with bathtub, black-framed glass and walnut panel – apartment in Paris

Bathroom with gray vanity, white marble walls and walnut cabinets – apartment in Paris

Bathroom detail with veined marble sink and black-framed walk-in shower – apartment in Paris

Black-framed glass shower opening onto the bedroom and rooftop view – apartment in Paris

Bedroom with jungle wallpaper, walnut headboard and leafy houseplants – apartment in Paris

Black and white terrazzo shower room with black-framed glass partition – apartment in Paris

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