Interior Design

Bourgeois Apartment in Nice

Bourgeois Apartment in Nice

About the project

BEFORE & AFTER

The apartment, located in a bourgeois building of the early twentieth century, had been renovated previously by removing the typical architectural elements of the first XX century.

The apartment needed a complete renovation, of the floors and walls, fittings, coverings, finishes, furniture and decoration.

The project provided, on the one hand, for the work to bring everything back to the level of the floor and the walls, which were deformed in the time, on the other hand, concerning the functionality, it was planned the reorganization of the spaces according to the request of the owner.

Finally, in terms of aesthetics, the project provided for the enhancement of the former married style with contemporary elements, art and design objects.

The original charm of the apartment was restored thanks to quality materials such as the solid oak parquet hungarian point, the joinery was replaced with wood joinery made to measure by a craftsman, the marble fireplace was restored.

BEFORE & AFTER

By removing the false ceilings and some walls, the apartment found beautiful volumes typical of first XX century.

Thus, the search for natural materials and neutral colors, allowed to highlight the elements of art and design.

A special research was made to the electrical installation, the apartment was fully equipped with home automation.

THE WORKS

The floor was strongly deformed and it was necessary to carry out important works to find a level ground, also the walls they were cracked because of these deformations.

THE PLANS

To obtain a larger living room and to take advantage of the light coming from five large windows, the kitchen has been moved into the adjoining room, while remaining semi open to the living room.

Two bedrooms, a dressing room and a bathroom have been provided on the other side of the apartment.

The kitchen, as well as all the cupboards and libraries, were entirely custom made by a carpenter, according to our plans.

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House in Mougins

About the project

The property, used as a holiday house, with an area of ​​about 200 m2, L-shaped, with a small central tower, was built in the 1980s, on a flat land of about 2300 m2.

A very beautiful garden with swimming pool surrounds the house, from the first floor you can enjoy a nice close view on a green landscape and distant on the sea.

The owners wanted to make an extension, because originally the house had a large ground floor and a very small floor and there were insufficient bedrooms.

After several studies according to town planning rules, the only possibility to achieve a large extension was to raise the house, by enlarging the existing floor. An administrative authorization request was necessary in order to carry out this project.

THE FIRST FLOOR

The first floor, before the project, consisted only of the master bedroom, which was pretty but quite small, with storage space located directly in the bedroom and a bathroom, which was in the tower.

The project was to provide a spacious and bright master bedroom, with large dressing room and bathroom with shower and bath, a guest bedroom with its dressing room and bathroom and keep the old master bedroom to make a bedroom.

The upper part of the internal staircase had to be modified to give access to all the bedrooms through a new hallway.

THE EXISTING – GROUND FLOOR

The ground floor, before the project, consisted of a large hall with the staircase leading upstairs, a large living room, a dining room, a spacious separate kitchen, with utility room, a TV lounge, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a toilet.

Outside, on the living room side, there was a large terrace equipped with a dining area.

On the bedroom side, another smaller lengthwise terrace gave direct access to the garden.

The owners wanted on the one hand to bring together the dining room and the kitchen, to make a large open space and on the other hand, to enlarge the two bedrooms on the ground floor on the terrace side, in order to equip them each with its own bathroom.

THE PROJECT – GROUND FLOOR

The ground floor project focused on both customer demands.

The wall between the kitchen and the dining room has been removed, the kitchen, in Provencal style, has been completely revised to make it more functional and more aesthetic as an open kitchen.

The back kitchen has been enlarged to give more functions.

Regarding the bedrooms, the extension was on the terrace side, which made it possible to have much larger bedrooms with walk-in closets and each one a spacious bathroom with large shower.

THE FACADES

The facades have undergone a considerable change, due to the fact that the first floor has grown a lot.

However, the new part has been planned with an aesthetic in harmony with the existing one, so that it integrates as well as possible.

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Duplex Apartment in Roquebrune Cap Martin

About the project

BEFORE & AFTER

The duplex apartment occupies the last two levels of a recent building, built near the Principality of Monaco, which is characterized by large terraces and bay windows, allowing to enjoy a sea view.

The owners bought it into their holiday apartment and asked for a total reorganization of the spaces.

The rooms are characterized by a non-orthogonal geometry, which gives a peculiarity to this apartment, with the high and sloping ceilings of the upper floor, characterized by an apparent dark wood frame.

Aesthetically, the apartment was not up to date and the owners wanted a contemporary and uncluttered style.

The project was built around a new staircase much lighter, because the biggest flaw of the apartment was the old masonry and partition staircase, which was in the center, reduced and darkened the space, also hide the view on the sea.

BEFORE & AFTER

The staircase has been designed in such a way as to obtain the maximum possible transparency, allowing from the entrance to enjoy the view of the sea.

Made by a blacksmith, his materials, according to the style of the apartment are made of metal for the steps and glass for the panels, a mirror has been use to increase the feeling of space and hide the kitchen.

In agreement with the owners, we have opted for neutral shades to highlight the beautiful view.

The same dark color of the wooden beams was also used for all the wooden elements, in order to create an harmony.

The lighting has been studied in detail and the apartment has been fully equipped with home automation.

THE WORKS

The demolition of the old staircase was validated by a concrete engineer.

The new staircase was manufactured by a local blacksmith according to our plans and was welded entirely on site.

THE PLANS

The lower floor has been modified to create a separate office, which doubles as a guest bedroom, instead of the kitchen. The kitchen has been moved to the living room for more convenience et conviviality.

The owners asked to add in the toilet a shower for the guest room, but being too small, a tailor-made solution was designed by us, with folding glass walls, which allow to create a shower cabin only when necessary.

On the upper floor, the spaces have been reorganized keeping the principle of two bedrooms with their own bathroom and the small adjoining veranda has been used as a laundry room and storage of outdoor furniture.

The beautiful volumes of the upper floor have been preserved and a tailor-made furniture, has been necessary according to the configuration of the walls and ceilings.

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House in provencal countryside

About the project

BEFORE & AFTER

The property is located in a pretty Provençal village surrounded by vineyards, it was acquired to become a second home.

The land, with an area of ​​approximately 1100 m2, and lot of plants, our clients were looking for a house with a large garden to be able to build a swimming pool.

There were several buildings on the property: the main house, built in the 1960s, with a large terrace that was built later, as well as a guest’s house. This construction existed before the main house and was later renovated.

Attached to the house, there was a garage, which had been built at the same time of the house and next to it, the first owner had built a greenhouse to shelter the plants in winter.

Before the purchase, the property was owned by two different owners, the second one had carried out work in several stages, but everything was now dilapidated.

The interior did not suit the new owners, neither for the organization of functions nor for aesthetics.

Also, all the installations had to be redone, plumbing, heating and electricity.

The house was quite dark, because the terrace was sheltered by a pergola covered with platic panels, which took away a lot of light.

In order to carry out this work, it was necessary to obtain authorizations from the city

Regarding the reorganization of functions, the principle was to organize the living space on the terrace side and the bedrooms on the rear side of the house, the living and kitchen had to be in a single large volume and no longer separated in small rooms.

BEFORE & AFTER

In the house there was a large Provençal style fireplace, which was not pleasant and took up a lot of space. We have kept the idea of the fireplace, but by installing a contemporary glazed model on three sides in order to be able to enjoy the atmosphere created by the fire, from all the living spaces.

Concerning the garage and the greenhouse, the two spaces have been united in a single large volume to make a winter garden.

The charming side of this room was the light effect created by the windows, so to replace the garage door, we had an identical window made by a blacksmith, in order to obtain two completely glazed sides which give the garden view.

The idea of this area was to take advantage of the vegetation while being sheltered.

The general idea was to give this property spaces to live according to the seasons, in summer the garden with swimming pool and the large terrace, during the intermediate seasons the winter garden and during the cold season inside the house with its fireplace.

Regarding aesthetics, in order to provide the rooms with as much clarity as possible, the walls have been painted with light colours, with the lower section paint with a slightly darker colour.

The floor has been redone with terracotta tiles and black tile baseboard to create a contrast.

The terrace and the winter garden floor have been tiled with patterns that the owners have chosen to energize the spaces.

This black ribbon was the common thread that linked the different coverings, both in the form of a plinth and otherwise as a decorative cornice.

A new pergola aesthetically lighter, took the place of the old one which did not correspond anymore to the style of the house and darkened the interior.

THE WORKS

To create the winter garden, the roof had to be completely redone, to make the slope uniform and also because the old roof was in bad condition and not at all suitable for a space intended to be inhabited.

For more thermal comfort, it was also necessary to insulate the floor, the walls and the roof.

An air conditioning system has been installed to compensate for seasonal temperature changes.

THE PLANS

In the property, the constructions have not undergone any major change in layout, in the garden a pool has been planned in the elongated part of the land because the clients wanted a lap pool.

Regarding the interior of the main house, the bedroom took the place of the kitchen and vice versa.

In order to create a large living space on the terrace side, where the interior and exterior are directly connected through the three French windows.

This allows a smooth flow between all functions to enjoy the indoor-outdoor lifestyle.

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Modern Apartment in Antibes

About the project

BEFORE & AFTER

The apartment, with an area of ​​approximately 80m2, is located in a modern building.

It is surrounded by a large terrace which allows to spend beautiful moments outside and enjoy a very beautiful sea view.

Before the project, the accommodation was a second home with four rooms, which could accommodate the whole family, but it was very partitioned and the rooms quite small.

The apartment with its large bay windows, its light and its beautiful views had real potential, however the interior organization and decoration do not highlight it.

The new owners, who wish to make it their main residence, asked to have a spacious two-room apartment with a master suite and to organize the large living space in such a way as to be able to create, if necessary, a guest bedroom with private bathroom.

This therefore led to a total renovation, to reorganize the spaces, and to bring the old installations up to standard.

Thanks to the fact that there were no load-bearing walls, since the structure was made of concrete made up of posts and beams, almost all the partitions were demolished.

Walls paint, floor tiles, bathrooms and kitchen have been completely redone.

The old windows has also been replaced by aluminium windows with double glazing.

BEFORE & AFTER

Following the request of owners to have lots of storage, a lot of design work and tailor-made carpentry was made

Inside the living room, a « multifunction cube » type volume, enhanced with a different color, has been designed to conceal access to the toilets, and access to the bathroom.

This cube is partly made up of partitions and partly of carpentry, it also contains a closet with a hidden desk and a dressing room for friends.

To prevent the storage units from cluttering the space, we have studied solutions that melt them completely into the walls and also contain the access doors to the rooms.

The owners, who love to cook and host guests, asked to have a kitchen open to the living room, which is very spacious and very functional.

Regarding the furniture, the customers had old family furniture and they wanted to integrate it into a contemporary and refined atmosphere.

The colors chosen are therefore neutral and warm and the style quite minimalist, to be able to marry  the wood furniture’s with the more contemporary lacquered elements.

THE WORKS

In this apartment, apart from the renovation work that can be found in most projects, there has been real tailor-made work that has allowed to create volumes with integrated functions.

In particular, to meet the owners’ request to create, if necessary, a guest bedroom space, in the « multifunction cube » a niche has been provided which contains three custom-made sliding panels.

These panels make it possible to close part of the living room area where there is a sofa bed, this part gives direct access to the shower room dedicated to guests.

This system allows both to keep all the volume for the living room, benefiting from a reading corner and to create a sleeping area for friends, only when necessary.

THE PLANS

The total reorganization of this apartment was possible thanks to the fact of not having major constraints vis-à-vis the demolitions.

The spaces have therefore been redesigned as if on a blank page following the owners’ requests and taking advantage of every centimeter, to create storage, without it being too visible and imposing.

The old kitchen and the pantry have given way partly to the master bathroom and partly to the dressing room.

The master bedroom is accessed from an invisible door which leads first into the dressing room, this allows the sleeping area to be separated from the living area, for better privacy.

One of the two existing bathrooms gives way to the new open kitchen and the dining room takes the place of an old small bedroom.

The living room remains in its place, but incorporates an old bedroom, which will become a reading area/guest room, as needed.

The second bathroom and the toilets remain in their place, but they are partially revised in terms of layout.

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Apartment in Villefranche Sur Mer

About the project

Project plan

The apartment, a studio located in a building of the 70s, despite its small surface of almost 30 m2, had a great potential but was in a very bad state and organized in a way that was not make a good use of the little space available

So this flat has to be rethink completely to turn it in a more nice and more spacious place to live

Located on the ground floor, there was a private garden, with sufficient area to create a dining area and a relaxation area, it enjoyed a breath-taking view of the sea and Cap Ferrat.

Also with the adjoining private garage, we had the impression of being in a real independent tiny house.

The garden has been treated with great care, because it was the real plus of the apartment.

To help increase the overall feeling of space, the flooring in the garden has been treated with an imitation wood finish identical to the parquet that has been laid inside. On both sides of the exterior, we have kept green spaces to allow real plants to further enhance the vegetation, many pots with smaller plants have been placed on the slabs.

Inside, natural oak flooring and light hues for the walls and furniture, with some contrasting effects to define the areas, help lighten the space and brighten it up.

Plan of the existing

The owner, following the acquisition, has living there for a few months and she was able to share her comments with us in terms of the lack of functionality, particularly with regard to the kitchen and storage.

With a large bay window there was plenty of light.

But previously the dark colors of the furniture and the fact that the apartment was very cluttered, gave the impression of a very dark space.

Before the works, the kitchen was separated, but this reduced the space, also preventing the view to the outside, when entering the apartment.

So the partition between the kitchen and the living/bedroom area was knocked down to create a large volume.

The bedroom area was behind a curtain and the cupboards were not very functional and in poor condition.

The floor coverings and walls were to be reviewed, as well as the installations.

3D plan of the project

Given the small surface, it was necessary to study the project in great detail, to take advantage of every square centimeter.

At the same time, the numerous storage spaces to be provided should not weigh down the space.

The owner wanted to have a real kitchen, as well as a real lounge area, with the sofa facing the sea.

The indoor dining area is not very large, but the outside can accommodate guests.

The bedroom space was created in a kind of alcove, separated from the living space by sliding panels, it is planned on a platform which had two functions: raising the bed to allow a better sea view and also containing a lot storage space.

To give even more storage to the bedroom, the private garage has been slightly reduced in length, allowing the creation of a dressing room, accessible directly from the bedroom.

All the furniture, apart from the kitchen, was made to measure by a carpenter, according to the plans provided

Before and after pictures:

On the left the photos of the apartment before the works, dark and cluttered, on the right the photos after the works, with a more spacious volume, each function has found its space. Light and plenty of built-in storage.

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House in Cap de Nice

About the project

The house sits on a small plot of land and dispose of several levels, the lowest of which has a swimming pool; with a magnificent sea view over the bay of Villefranche and Cap Ferrat.

The main level hosts a large living room with open kitchen and also service areas.

The first floor, with sloping ceilings, serves as an office and guest bedroom and the lower floor, where we worked, has three bedrooms, each with its own private bathroom.

The house needed an overall aesthetic improvement, as well as a functional improvement in the bedrooms and bathrooms, which are on the same level as the swimming pool.

The partitions were demolished and rebuilt differently, to better organize the space.

The master bedroom has been enlarged, following the request of the owners.

The toilets located near the stairs have been enlarged to be transformed into a bathroom.

The project planned to distribute the spaces as follows: a large master bedroom with bathroom still open to the bedroom, a second large bedroom with bathroom and dressing room and a third bedroom with the new bathroom created.

The floors have all been redone with a beautiful oak parquet floor, which brings a lot of warmth to the atmosphere.

The bathrooms have been renovated with natural materials and neutral tones.

Regarding the works, everything has been redone, the installations, the floors and the walls.

The materials used, chosen with the owners, are of very good quality in order to guarantee durability over time.

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Student Apartment in Nice

About the project

This small apartment of about twenty square meters was acquired by a real estate dealer to make a rental investment.

It is located on the top attic floor of a building near one university and despite its small size, it benefited from a long balcony which allowed an extension of the living space.

It was in a very bad state and so everything had to be redone to create a pleasant place to live for a student.

The ceiling height was quite high, this allowed a height arrangement for the bed space.

Two proposals were made, studying the space to the centimeter, because it was necessary to provide all the functions of a real apartment in just 20m2.

The chosen solution provided for a central space consisting of a custom-made carpentry element that contained several functions.

Project Details
Size 20 sq m
Location Nice France
Project start 2015
Project finish 2015
Value .

House in Beaulieu sur Mer

About the project

This house project is a study made for a client who wanted to build a contemporary house with a beautiful garden and a swimming pool close to the house.

The house consists of two levels, on the ground floor the main rooms and upstairs the bedrooms.

The client wanted large glass surfaces to enjoy the garden and the swimming pool also from the inside and at the same time have very bright rooms.

Project Details
Size 300 sq m
Location Beaulieu sur Mer

Apartment building in Cannes

Architecture

About the project

The project concerns the construction of an apartment building, on a plot located between two already existing buildings.

The land was not very large, but it was possible to build six levels above ground, plus two levels underground for parking.

In all there are sixteen apartments.

Architecture

Each level consists of two through apartments with three rooms, with the bedrooms on the courtyard side and the living room on the south side.

Between these two, there is a two-room apartment, only on the street side, to allow the positioning of the staircase and the elevator, at the back, on the courtyard side.

Architecture

The top floor, set back, consists of two through three-room apartments.

The stairwell was designed in the shape of a cylinder.

Architecture

The main facade, facing the street, is quite articulated and composed of different types of openings and balconies.

Several materials and colors accentuate this chromatic and volumetric articulation.

Architecture

The rear facade overlooking the small private gardens allocated to the ground floor accommodation is also quite articulated.

The cylindrical volume of the staircase energizes the facade, the two side parts are partly closed and partly open in the form of balconies.