Before & After: Clever Built-In Storage Expands Space in This Flat
This flat has all the features of a much bigger space thanks to multifunctional units and clever design thinking
This young couple had a total budget of 300,000 euros to spend on accommodation in Bordeaux, France. After some research and lots of math, they came up with two options: They could either afford a three- or four-room flat that’s in need of a renovation and located on the outskirts of the city; or a turnkey-renovated, two-room flat in the city centre.
Encouraged by a couple friends who happen to be interiors professionals, the couple went for the second option and bought a duplex made up of two studios on different floors. It was then up to architect Elodie Gaschard of Atelier Miel and interior designer Mickaël Martins Afonso to turn the two 26-square-metre flats into a mini-duplex. Afonso tells us about their design for an ultra-optimised layout, with clever modular furniture and timeless decor.
Encouraged by a couple friends who happen to be interiors professionals, the couple went for the second option and bought a duplex made up of two studios on different floors. It was then up to architect Elodie Gaschard of Atelier Miel and interior designer Mickaël Martins Afonso to turn the two 26-square-metre flats into a mini-duplex. Afonso tells us about their design for an ultra-optimised layout, with clever modular furniture and timeless decor.
Before. This flat is in a building made of local stone in the historic city centre of Bordeaux. The previous owner had created the duplex by illegally joining two 26-square-metre spaces on the building’s first and second storeys – the legal issues have since been addressed.
The young couple fell in love with the home’s location and bright interior, which gets light from ten windows on two sides of the building.
The young couple fell in love with the home’s location and bright interior, which gets light from ten windows on two sides of the building.
After. The first storey houses the open kitchen and living room. A wooden staircase leads to the bedroom and bathroom on the second floor. Both spaces have the same configuration: a rectangular room with three large windows, and two small, box-shaped spaces – with their own windows – on two sides.
Inspired by this unusual layout, the pros proposed taking advantage of every nook and cranny to recreate, on a smaller scale, all the rooms one might find in a normal house.
Inspired by this unusual layout, the pros proposed taking advantage of every nook and cranny to recreate, on a smaller scale, all the rooms one might find in a normal house.
Before. The small maisonette was in good condition, but the pros planned to replace the basic layout with a tailor-made unit worked out to the smallest detail. “It was so small that we decided to build everything into it, including the furniture,” Afonso says. “The constraint of limited space guided us towards the solutions we needed, helping us come up with new ways to use the space.”
After. Custom built-ins are expensive, so they had to keep an eye on the budget. “After the purchase, we had 140,000 euros left for the complete renovation, or about 2,700 euros per square metre,” Afonso says. “A comfortable budget, provided we made some economical choices: keeping the original chestnut floor and the existing double-glazed windows, and keeping the wet areas in the bathroom and the kitchen where they are.”
The choice of finishing materials was also crucial, since they had to place an order for 200 square metres of panels. They selected a solid rubberwood glulam, which is useful for its stability, mechanical qualities and, of course, lower cost.
The choice of finishing materials was also crucial, since they had to place an order for 200 square metres of panels. They selected a solid rubberwood glulam, which is useful for its stability, mechanical qualities and, of course, lower cost.
The architect and interior designer wanted to free up as much space as possible for the living room, so they came up with the idea of a layout based on two units built along the walls, leaving breathing room in the centre.
Recreated in its original location and jutting out like a peninsula, the new kitchen takes up more or less the same footprint as the previous one but with added functionality. The appliances are also spaced out better throughout the unit, and no longer crammed into one side of the peninsula between the island and the window.
The unit was custom-made by a joiner. Each cabinet front has an invisible grip. A countertop of black granite from Zimbabwe adds contrast. It has “a knife edge and a leather finish,” Afonso says.
Have you noticed that the storage units above the counter are cantilevered? “To prove that they are properly secured, I lay down on top of them on the day the project was delivered,” Afonso says with a smile.
Have you noticed that the storage units above the counter are cantilevered? “To prove that they are properly secured, I lay down on top of them on the day the project was delivered,” Afonso says with a smile.
Although the kitchen is small, a high-end extractor hood from Novy was not forgotten. It hangs on plasterwork boxing which extends upwards to create a solid banister for the staircase.
Behind the kitchen, blinds conceal the entrance to the tiny utility room located in one of the two protrusions of the original room.
Behind the kitchen, blinds conceal the entrance to the tiny utility room located in one of the two protrusions of the original room.
Opposite the kitchen is the second wall unit, with the sofa in the centre of the room. “We chose a fully modular one, the Air Sofa by Lago,” Afonso says.
Made of light wood and MDF dyed black to the core, this unit combines the functions of a bookcase, TV cabinet, storage area and dining table and even extends into an office. A 55-inch flat screen is concealed behind the doors of the four central modules.
Made of light wood and MDF dyed black to the core, this unit combines the functions of a bookcase, TV cabinet, storage area and dining table and even extends into an office. A 55-inch flat screen is concealed behind the doors of the four central modules.
Un grand PETIT nid « entre optimisation & modularité »
The base, which Afonso calls “the catwalk,” is a 75-centimetre-tall platform. As it is designed to offer access to the bookcase and the office, it is made of a single-piece, 48-mm-thick rubberwood panel designed to support the weight of an adult.
Inside, four large 90-centimetre-deep, pull-out drawers provide ample storage space. Cables and electrical outlets are hidden between the platform and the bookcase.
Inside, four large 90-centimetre-deep, pull-out drawers provide ample storage space. Cables and electrical outlets are hidden between the platform and the bookcase.
A second modular platform overtop serves as a dining table.
The table can be fixed in two positions depending on the owners’ needs. “The couple can pull it out to eat every day while sitting on the retractable stools from Flux. When they have friends over, however, they can seat up to six by securing the table to the platform in a discreet slot provided for this purpose,” Afonso says.
Finally, there is an office nook, also known as the ‘reading room’. This corner of the room was originally a closed wardrobe. The platform extends into this space. It is topped by a 120 by 190 centimetre mattress of foam blocks.“It’s not very big but can be used as an extra bed for friends,” says the designer.
But that’s not all. When the ‘mattress’ is removed, a hatch lifts to reveal ‘the cockpit’, as Afonso has nicknamed it. A built-in step makes it easy to descend into the space, turning the extension of the platform into a desk. There is also a stationary but height-adjustable office chair.
The staircase is between the entrance and the kitchen. It too is outfitted with a pull-out storage unit that serves as a wardrobe and shoe rack. The lower steps double as seats.
The finishes on the staircase show the level of attention to detail that went into the project. “We wanted the steps to be a perfect outgrowth of the shelves. This led to the design of a riser that covers the step, which is the opposite of how it is usually done. So the direction of the wood grain is always the same on the steps,” he says.
A landing over the tops of the refrigerator and kitchen cupboards ensures that the stairs is not too steep.
The plasterwork banister that extends from the boxing of the extractor hood connects to the lower, wooden banister with a tidy recessed joint.
The plasterwork banister that extends from the boxing of the extractor hood connects to the lower, wooden banister with a tidy recessed joint.
To the left of the landing is the bathroom, separated by a frosted glass door, which allows more natural light from the bathroom windows to diffuse into the rest of the space.
The door frame, threshold and all wooden bathroom features – like this stool pictured here, designed by Afonso himself – are made of chestnut.
The door frame, threshold and all wooden bathroom features – like this stool pictured here, designed by Afonso himself – are made of chestnut.
The floor, shower stall and vanity are marble, all carved to measure from the same block. This is not such an expensive option, if you know how to select the right material. “The cheapest material at the marble shop was this grey marble from Portugal,” Afonso says. “It was awful, but sandblasting brought out its veining in a blur effect. Then it came out great, simply unrecognisable.”
The shower, which is in a small recess over the utility room, is entirely covered in marble. Flooded with the light from a window, it is a very pleasant place to spend time in.
Facing the bathroom door is the toilet room, which is almost imperceptible behind its full-height pivot door.
After. The partition between the landing and the bedroom has been adapted to house a full-height storage unit.
“We wanted to connect the two windows on the landing with these partition-wall units,” Afonso says. “It seems rectilinear, but in reality, we had to build it as a trapezoid to make up for the fact that the windows are not aligned.”
Longitudinal section
Few homeowners dare to sacrifice space for design. This layout is optimised to the extreme thanks to clever platforms that change the lifestyle in the space. High-end materials and attention to detail elevate the design of the space. This flat is sure to remain in the annals of Afonso’s best projects for many years to come.
Few homeowners dare to sacrifice space for design. This layout is optimised to the extreme thanks to clever platforms that change the lifestyle in the space. High-end materials and attention to detail elevate the design of the space. This flat is sure to remain in the annals of Afonso’s best projects for many years to come.
Cross-section
Read more:
Before & After Transformations of Bathrooms Under 60 Sq Ft
Before & After: 5 Unbelievable Garden Transformations
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this home?
Read more:
Before & After Transformations of Bathrooms Under 60 Sq Ft
Before & After: 5 Unbelievable Garden Transformations
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this home?
Flat at a Glance
Who lives here? A young couple who are first-time buyers
Location: In the heart of the historic centre of Bordeaux, France
Size: 52 square metres
Date of work: 2014
Designer: Mickaël Martins Afonso
Architect: Elodie Gaschard of l’Atelier Miel
Project budget: 140,000 euros