Houzz Tour: A Parisian Flat Inspired by a Pedro Almodóvar Film
This one-bedroom apartment was designed for a cinema lover and pays subtle homage to the Spanish director
Home offers a kind of primordial comfort – especially for those who are often on the road. This is a sentiment shared by Charles Coutris, manager of L’Indochineur, a firm that commissions jewellery and tableware from artists in Vietnam. Charles bought this 538 sq ft, two-room apartment with a dated interior in Paris not far from the Place Denfert-Rochereau, which some might recognise as the location of the Paris Catacombs.
The apartment hadn’t been renovated since the building was constructed in the 1970s, so Charles asked the Lagom agency, led by Déborah Calfond Bettan and Avinoam Bettan, for a complete renovation after spotting their work online and in an article on Houzz. The Bettans had everything Charles was looking for: a passion for contemporary and graphic spaces, a love of cinema and an understanding of the importance of good sleep.
The apartment hadn’t been renovated since the building was constructed in the 1970s, so Charles asked the Lagom agency, led by Déborah Calfond Bettan and Avinoam Bettan, for a complete renovation after spotting their work online and in an article on Houzz. The Bettans had everything Charles was looking for: a passion for contemporary and graphic spaces, a love of cinema and an understanding of the importance of good sleep.
The apartment’s entrance had previously opened into the straight, dark hallway, with French windows into the living room directly opposite. Now it opens into a large, open space running all the way to the picture window at the far end of the living room, which is partially divided into zones by open shelving.
The cupboard by the front door was replaced by a new storage unit in oak-veneered plywood that offers a drop zone and hides the internet router from view. Two other storage units in white-painted MDF store coats, among other things.
The cupboard by the front door was replaced by a new storage unit in oak-veneered plywood that offers a drop zone and hides the internet router from view. Two other storage units in white-painted MDF store coats, among other things.
The architects replaced the hallway wall on the living room side with a very light divider that immediately conveys the project’s geometric feel. Designed by the Lagom architects, this bookshelf-divider artistically partitions the space without blocking the light. “It was absolutely necessary to frame this extraordinary view over all of Paris,” Déborah says.
The small, asymmetrical shelves suspended on thermo-lacquered aluminium tubes display beautiful objects that are valuable to the owner.
Those who have seen the film Pain & Glory will notice that the quirkier splashes of vibrant colour from the main character’s apartment are missing here. No red kitchen with a blue splashback, no living room with oversize paintings in exuberant colours.
All that the architects took from those scenes is the graphic feel of Almodóvar’s beloved compositions and the deep green colour of the main character’s velvet sofa. In fact, this is what gave them the idea for the pine green divider frame, which is softened by the pale oak shelves and contrasts with the white of the walls.
The small, asymmetrical shelves suspended on thermo-lacquered aluminium tubes display beautiful objects that are valuable to the owner.
Those who have seen the film Pain & Glory will notice that the quirkier splashes of vibrant colour from the main character’s apartment are missing here. No red kitchen with a blue splashback, no living room with oversize paintings in exuberant colours.
All that the architects took from those scenes is the graphic feel of Almodóvar’s beloved compositions and the deep green colour of the main character’s velvet sofa. In fact, this is what gave them the idea for the pine green divider frame, which is softened by the pale oak shelves and contrasts with the white of the walls.
This photo of the old, salmon-coloured living room shows the French windows into the hallway and the door to the enclosed kitchen.
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Make the challenge of finding the right people for your project easier by searching the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Only the typical 1970s basketweave parquet floor was carefully preserved for its geometric look. The picture windows were replaced with sliding windows in frames that are white on the interior side and black on the exterior to respect the visual unity of the façade.
The architects dreamed up two linear storage units to install the home cinema system at the back of the room.
The architects dreamed up two linear storage units to install the home cinema system at the back of the room.
Avinoam is passionate about technology and took charge of installing the home cinema with a large immersive screen and surround sound. The top unit hides an HD projection screen, while a surround sound system is supported over Wi-Fi with an amp. Three speakers are embedded into the top and bottom cabinets. Two more speakers at the back return the sound, he says.
Manufactured by a carpenter from the firm Ergo-Logic, like the rest of the bespoke furniture in the apartment, these linear oak-veneer cabinets end in a curved beveled edge that softens their outline.
The kitchen is now open-plan with the living room (see floor plans below). The cabinet bases were paired with doors in a pine green that echoes that at the entrance. In a nod to the sky-blue tiles on the main character’s kitchen splashback in Pain & Glory, Déborah proposed a 5cm sq tile to underscore the graphic look of the place. The matt tiles cover both the worktop and the splashback. Note also the pretty detail of the edging.
The upper cabinets are about 40cm deep. The white cabinets align over the green cabinets, giving the impression of a perfect fit. “The video projector is hidden among them,” Déborah says.
It’s impossible to finish the description of this kitchen without touching on the lighting system. “We proposed it to keep with the graphic spirit, and Charles adored it. Moreover, he’d spotted it in an article about one of our other projects. In the end, the calculations were complicated, but it’s Avi who worked on them,” she says.
Using the customisable lighting system meant Avinoam had to calculate each linear metre of cabling that would be required, working from the plans the architects had drawn earlier. Equipped with a dimmer, this system can provide a bright or cosy light, depending on the needs of the moment.
The upper cabinets are about 40cm deep. The white cabinets align over the green cabinets, giving the impression of a perfect fit. “The video projector is hidden among them,” Déborah says.
It’s impossible to finish the description of this kitchen without touching on the lighting system. “We proposed it to keep with the graphic spirit, and Charles adored it. Moreover, he’d spotted it in an article about one of our other projects. In the end, the calculations were complicated, but it’s Avi who worked on them,” she says.
Using the customisable lighting system meant Avinoam had to calculate each linear metre of cabling that would be required, working from the plans the architects had drawn earlier. Equipped with a dimmer, this system can provide a bright or cosy light, depending on the needs of the moment.
Opening up a kitchen is a classic move, but here, two challenges required the architects’ attention.
First of all, the piping was difficult to move. “We decided from the beginning to take it on by looking for a full-height radiator that could subsume the piping while playing divider,” Déborah says. The radiator is installed on square plates, which pick up the pattern of the splashback.
This challenge led to one of the leitmotifs of the décor. “These pipes were actually what guided us to the design of the suspended furniture,” she says.
The second problem had to do with the floor in the old kitchen. “We decided to extend the parquet with a new version that was as similar as possible, and then create a carpet of tiles in front of the cupboards,” she says. “We created a broken-up transition by scattering tiles here and there in the parquet. Finding the right parquet and tiles of the same dimensions as the original pattern was not exactly easy.”
First of all, the piping was difficult to move. “We decided from the beginning to take it on by looking for a full-height radiator that could subsume the piping while playing divider,” Déborah says. The radiator is installed on square plates, which pick up the pattern of the splashback.
This challenge led to one of the leitmotifs of the décor. “These pipes were actually what guided us to the design of the suspended furniture,” she says.
The second problem had to do with the floor in the old kitchen. “We decided to extend the parquet with a new version that was as similar as possible, and then create a carpet of tiles in front of the cupboards,” she says. “We created a broken-up transition by scattering tiles here and there in the parquet. Finding the right parquet and tiles of the same dimensions as the original pattern was not exactly easy.”
Charles likes uncluttered settings with a few beautiful objects. He selected the dining furniture himself, finding a 1950s table in wood and formica, completed by design classic Wishbone CH24 chairs by Hans J Wegner in walnut.
The architects arranged the workspace Charles asked for to the right of the cabinet that conceals the fridge-freezer. It takes the form of an elegantly suspended piece of furniture.
The owner usually leaves his laptop here, but for the photo shoot he displayed tableware made by artisans in Hanoi.
Note the way contemporary touches have been integrated into the design: out with the big spotlights, in with LED strips placed under the kitchen cabinets. Instead of the stainless-steel sink and its big draining board, a white ceramic sink has been installed directly into the tiled worktop.
Moving the bathroom walls cut the hallway down to 1.8m in length, lending more space to the entrance. The electric meter was hidden in the cupboard. A door makes it possible to isolate the private areas from the rest of the apartment.
The wall-hung toilet, mini concrete basin and sliding door have propelled this little corner into modernity.
Focused on the magnificent view, the restrained bedroom is decorated in light and pleasing shades, reflecting the owner’s minimalist philosophy. The thick wall-to-wall wool carpet is pleasant to the touch. The bed cover picks up the square motif of the splashback. Two large rattan floor lamps complete this composition, which puts emphasis on the essential.
The architects installed a wireless Sonos Play 1 speaker in the bedroom. “Wherever Charles may be in the apartment, the music he’s listening to follows him,” Déborah says.
The architects installed a wireless Sonos Play 1 speaker in the bedroom. “Wherever Charles may be in the apartment, the music he’s listening to follows him,” Déborah says.
This bathroom was revamped from top to bottom. A shower took the place of the bath and a vanity unit replaced the pedestal basin. Extending the graphic harmony of the apartment, 5cm sq white tiles were used on the floor and the top of the vanity unit, and 10cm sq unglazed green ceramic tiles were used on the walls.
If the Almodóvar film was indeed the first inspiration, these tiles, with their graphic feel underscored by their contrasting grouting, remain the main leitmotif of the new décor in this apartment.
This material reminds Déborah of one of the discoveries that marked her double major in architecture and as a student at the school of art. “These white tiles with black joints always remind me of architect and contemporary visual artist Jean-Pierre Raynaud, who prepared his whole ‘home’ [referring to an installation by Raynaud entitled ‘The Home of the Celle-Saint-Cloud’] in them and said that ‘contrasting effects are stimulating’. The essential tension between black and white is powerful.”
This material reminds Déborah of one of the discoveries that marked her double major in architecture and as a student at the school of art. “These white tiles with black joints always remind me of architect and contemporary visual artist Jean-Pierre Raynaud, who prepared his whole ‘home’ [referring to an installation by Raynaud entitled ‘The Home of the Celle-Saint-Cloud’] in them and said that ‘contrasting effects are stimulating’. The essential tension between black and white is powerful.”
Who lives here? Charles Coutris, manager of L’Indochineur and its brand, Studio Rivêt
Location The seventh floor of a 1970s building in Paris, France
Size 538 sq ft (50 sq m)
Architects Déborah Calfond Bettan and Avinoam Bettan of Lagom Architects
Photos by Maude Artarit and Delphine Quesme
Since 2002, Charles has dedicated himself to his company. He deals with a lot of challenges in his work, so he wanted his new apartment to be a place of relaxation and wellbeing.
He fell in love with the apartment’s fantastic view of Paris, and the fact that its main rooms – living room, kitchen and bedroom – open out onto a terrace that overlooks a garden full of trees. All of the spaces in the apartment were served by a long corridor at the back.
As an art lover who’s passionate about cinema and music, Charles asked the architects to install a cinema space in the apartment, along with a sound system in every room. His other wishes were more classic, including creating a work area, opening the kitchen to the living room and replacing the bath with a shower.
As for style, Charles trusted the architects based on their previous projects and gave them only one simple instruction, Déborah says. “As a fan of the worlds created by Spanish director [Pedro] Almodóvar, he was in love with the interior owned by the main character of the film Pain and Glory – which was out at the time – in particular his graphic kitchen,” she says.
The duo quickly came back to Charles with two sketches. The owner selected a light and airy design underscored with notes of light wood and dark green.