A Sculptural Micro-Volume Apartment in Paris by Studio Pauline Borgia
by Alexa Hotz
In Paris’ 5th arrondissement, architect Pauline Borgia has reimagined a 230-square-foot studio apartment on Rue de la Bûcherie for a pair of young Americans studying in Paris. Known for her sculptural approach to small spaces, Borgia transformed the one-room apartment into a series of distinct yet fluid areas: a kitchen, bathroom, office, library, bedroom, and generous storage are all folded into the compact L-shaped footprint through custom built-ins and curved walls.
Borgia, who founded her Paris studio in 2015 after working for larger firms in Paris and Hong Kong, approaches renovation with restraint, reducing the amount of demolition and removal where possible while employing built-in solutions as part of the architecture itself. Here, plaster, light oak, and colored concrete make up a “micro-volume” interior, where even the furniture feels embedded into the space. Join us for a look inside.
Photography by BCDF Studio for Studio Pauline Borgia.
Above: A French door opens into a pocket-sized kitchen with a colored concrete floor and kitchen cabinets designed in dark-stained oak.
Above: A pair of half-cylinder sconces light the kitchen above a small built-in table. The chair is an antique walnut country chair from France. Vintage furniture throughout the apartment was sourced from Emmaüs.
Above: A 19th-century Rebus antique plate and a tulip dessert cup.
Above: Curved walls soften the apartment’s boxy shell. Borgia designed custom built-in storage throughout the apartment in light oak and plaster.
Above: The floors are newly laid oak planks.
Above: A half-circle desk in oak is built into the wall and paired with a vintage chair sourced from China. Above is a vintage two-tone Stilnovo Diablo Sconce.
Above: Borgia grew up in her family’s house in Corsica, where every room was designed in a different color. In that same spirit, she looks to color to create identities for smaller rooms. Case in point is the compact bathroom, designed in green-colored concrete and paint. Here, the bathroom is styled with ceramics from Bordallo Pinheiro. The sconce is by Alex and Manel Lluscà.
Above: The console is also built of colored concrete and set with a simple stainless steel sink.
Above: The schematic shows a flow from the entrance through living area and into the bath and kitchen. Also shown here are the lofted sleeping space and outdoor terrace.
For more small Parisian spaces see our posts:
- 269 Square Feet in Paris: Design Ideas from a Shoebox Apartment Reinvented By Marianne Evennou
- Making Space: A 350-Square-Foot Parisian Pied-à-Terre Studio from Corpus Studio
- Small-Space Soirées: 8 Tips from a Paris Apartment, Courtesy of Rebekah Peppler
- Order and Pattern in a Spirited Paris Apartment Remodel by Two Young Architects
- A Paris Apartment with Artful, Architectural Interventions from Corpus Studio
Psst…What We Loved in May
by Remodelista Team
Welcome to Psst, where each month the Remodelista and Gardenista editors share an inside look at what we’ve been reading, watching, coveting, pinning, visiting, and otherwise loving lately. Without further ado, a glimpse of what we’ve been up to in May:
Photographs by editors, except where noted.
Above: “Discovered at Futures Fair during New York Design Week: the work of Angela Burson, a Savannah-based artist whose room scenes are reminiscent of 19th century folk paintings. She aptly describes her work as exploring “the ripe potential for meaning-making in the relationships between objects.” – Margot Guralnick; painting by Angela Burson
Above: “Betsy Harris is a naturalist whose exceptional botanical photography and meticulous annotations changed the way I perceive Florida. She describes herself as ‘a dirt road enthusiast celebrating Florida’s rich botanical heritage.’ Also, she has a very cute beagle.” – Marie Viljoen; photograph by Betsy Harris
Above: “We been long fielding requests for a ‘big, soft chair’ from my daughter, and finally made our selection. It’s been a significant life upgrade. I had heard great things about Sixpenny sofas from a friend so we went with the Gabriel Chair in linen/feather down. It’s a superb reading chair, and if you strip it down of extra cushions, you can easily fit with a young child and read together. Really lovely.” – Alexa; photograph from Sixpenny
Above: “My main news, even while the Chelsea Flower Show has been going on, has been the arrival of our polytunnel (greenhouse). A bit larger than we would have asked for, but it’s an ex-display model from the Malvern Flower Show. It’s made by Keder. Their designs are known to withstand gales in the Hebrides; the walls are like giant bubble wrap.” – Kendra Wilson
Above: “This month I started something new: Detail Oriented, a monthly snail-mail delivery of small good things I’ve noticed/loved/delighted in, printed on real paper and sent each month right to your (actual) mailbox. Did I start this because I have a paper obsession? Quite possibly. If you’re interested in checking out this fledgling project, you can find me on Substack.” – Annie Quigley
Above: “Everyone is excited by the inflatable chair, but the piece from Ikea’s latest PS collection that most intrigued me was the folding chair!” – Laura Fenton; photograph from Ikea
Above: “I loved reading about landscape architect Gilles Clément and his approach to ‘spontaneous vegetation’ where design serves as a bridge between human presence and natural systems in perpetual change. Wildly wonderful. Featured on the account @1day1architect.” – Kier Holmes; photograph from Nxt Brand
Above: “My newest vase: the Bergs Potter Copenhagen Vase. I love that it’s essentially their classic terracotta pot—but in glass.” – Fan Winston
Above: “I’ve been poring over the new Collection 02 of aarticles, gallery of Kasia Sznajder and Fred Aartun. The collection includes everything from found Murano glass pieces, sculptures, ceramic vessels, to the most artful bookstand in history from Louie Isaaman Jones.” – Alexa Hotz; for more see our post A Testing Ground for Objects: Inside the Copenhagen Apartment of Kasia Sznajder and Fred Aartun of aarticles
Above: “I walked TEFAF New York (The European Fine Art Foundation) with an old friend this year, where I fell in love with a series of mirrors by a French artist named Line Vautrin, who I knew nothing about. According to her page on Christie’s, Vogue once dubbed her the ‘poetess of metal.'” – Nick Spain
Above: “I loved seeing the Keeps Architect Bed in a custom color at the Afternoon Light trade show. Colors are custom ordered, but one of the co-founders told me that they wanted to show designers that you could get rich, vibrant colors from the linseed oil stains they use.” – Kier Holmes; photograph from Keeps
Above: “Driveway dinners are my new summer obsession. The backyard, the patio, and the leafy enclave are all undeniably delightful, yes, but ever since a friend hosted a dinner party in her drive, the long table set with family-style platters and bowls, mismatched chairs pulled up all around, I’ve been really loving the ad-hoc-ness of hosting a driveway (or sidewalk) dinner party. I plan on channeling this spirit all summer for impromptu drinks and weekend dinners.” – Annie Quigley; photograph from Shared Space: Silke Bonde Atelier & Établi in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen
Have a look at our picks from previous months:
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