The colours and style of the 1970s influenced this renovation of a compact Paris apartment, designed by New York-based The House Special Studio.
It is the first completed project by The House Special Studio, a collaboration between Greek architect and designer Kiki Goti and her partner, French filmmaker Vincent Staropoli.
The one-bedroom apartment serves as the pied-à-terre for a client who works for an international NGO and spends much of his time living abroad.
He asked the duo to transform his formerly white-walled flat into a more characterful home, taking cues from the furniture, objects and artworks he has collected from his travels.
“Given Stephan’s peripatetic nature, never spending more than a week or two in Paris between assignments, he wanted his Parisian home to be a place of respite and familiarity, akin to a hotel suite where comfort and facility are readily available,” said Goti.
The designers looked to the 1970s, the decade of their client’s childhood, as a starting point.
This led them to develop a palette that includes nostalgic shades of deep blue, burgundy, terracotta and soft brown.
“The challenge of this project was to make a compact functional space that, despite its small size, has areas with different character,” Goti told Dezeen.
“Sometimes people think that uniform white is more appropriate for small spaces, but here we argue that a small space can feel bigger if colour is used strategically to frame different areas and create distinct zones.”
The first step in the renovation was to restore the chevron-patterned parquet flooring that runs through most of the home.
In the bedroom, the designers used a beige tile from Portuguese brand Barro to form a headboard for the bed. This creates a pattern of repeating circles that contrasts with the zigzagging lines of the flooring.
Above it, a blue-painted wall provides a contrasting backdrop to the Strand pendant lamp from Danish brand Muuto and aluminium sconces designed by Goti herself.
Goti first unveiled these scones as part of the Alcova exhibition in Milan in 2024, alongside a matching chair.
The aim in this room, she said, was to “exude an earthy and nocturnal ambience”.
For the main living space, the designers created four distinct zones: a lounge area with a brown backdrop, a workspace set against an orange-painted bookcase, a similarly orange-toned dining space, and a galley-style kitchen.
The lounge centres around a 1970s glass and rosewood coffee table from Brazil, found in a Paris flea market, in a nod to a country where the client lived for four years.
This sits alongside a vintage leather sofa, upholstered swivel chairs, a pair of vintage 1960s wall lights and a blue ceramic mirror from artist duo Arrarka.
The desk was built into an existing wall recess, with bespoke stainless-steel details adding extra character.
The designers displayed some of the owner’s existing objects on the shelves, including a series of wooden monk statues from Myanmar and an antique clock from Russia.
The kitchen features the same tiles as the bedroom – a controversial choice, according to Goti – paired with black cabinets and metallic details.
A burgundy tile was selected for the bathroom, lining the walls and side of the built-in bath.
“A large mirror covering a big portion of the wall above the sink subtly doubles the space,” said Goti.
The designers describe the revamped home as “uncluttered, relaxing and inspiring”.
“What I am sure we have achieved is to create an authentic atmosphere in the space, an atmosphere that is faithful to our vision as well as true to our client’s universe,” added Staopoli.
Another Parisian project recently featured on Dezeen saw design studio Policronica create a hotel interior using “invasive wood”.
The photography is by the designers.
