The amazingly light and bright 29m² apartment

April Kennedy April Kennedy
PARIS 17 29m², blackStones blackStones Modern living room
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Today we will explore a little Parisian home of just 29sqm. The small apartment is long, narrow and all the natural light comes from one end of the room. This is a common, but tricky feature in many small homes. While most would have resigned themselves to setting it up as a one-room home, French interior architects Blackstone got a little more ambitious. We won't give away the solution just yet, but we will say that the result is bright and plush. It's a modern little home, but with a hint of baroque romanticism. This is Paris after all! Let's check it out in photos…

Good lighting

The bedroom has been separated from the living area and kitchen by a set of sliding doors. We will have a look at these from another angle in a moment. But first, we would like to draw your attention to the light in the living room. The long light follows the line of the ceiling. This creates uninterrupted lines of sight and makes the narrow home appear wider than it might otherwise appear.

Sliding doors

In the living room we have some fabulous sliding doors separating the living room from the bedroom. Separators can easily make a home feel pokey and small. But these sliding doors don't take up much space because they can be folded into the wall. They are often an excellent choice for a small homes. Visually, it's also important to keep a small home feeling light and bright. The white tone and almost minimalist design serves this purpose. Finally, note the subtle floral design. This adds that romantic flourish to the small home.

Streamlined kitchen

The kitchen is essentially designed with a single line layout—with additions. It's interesting to see how the little corner nook and corridor has been used as additional kitchen space. Also, a high breakfast bar design like this is an excellent choice for a small kitchen. It can be used as extra preparation space and often provides an opportunity for those working in the kitchen to face the centre of the room and engage with others while cooking.

Small dining bench

In a small apartment it's often really important to create some stylistic links between your kitchen and the adjoining living area. Here, the soft grey tones of the simple breakfast bench create a clear connection to the main living areas. At the same time, the bright yellow accent colours designate it as a kitchen area. This is one shallow dining table, but it's perfectly suited to the narrow design of the home.

Stylish storage

On the far right we have a glimpse of the large hallway storage closet. It takes up precious floor space so it really needs to add value to the design. The designers have done this by choosing a cupboard created from rich golden timber. This adds warmth to the rather light and cool decor. Keen-eyed readers may have noticed that the side of this cupboard also acts as a little wooden feature wall in the kitchen.

Decorative bathroom walls

The tiny bathroom has a very functional and comfortable feel. The shower stall is visually very lightweight so the small room appears bright and open. This kind of like shower stall design often draws more attention to the walls. The designers have obliged by using a warm natural stone tile with lots of rich textures. This, together with the base wooden cabinet makes for a minimalist bathroom with a strong earth ambiance.

For more ideas on decorating a small home, have a look at 10 easy ways to brighten your home with patterns.

What do you think of the interior architecture in this home?

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