Before and After: A 1970s Apartment Transformed by a Modern, Bold Renovation

Striped of its unnecessary walls, this apartment gains stature thanks to an elegant blend of bold hues and velvety textures.

Before/After: A dated and dark apartment fully renovated

Preparing to welcome their first child, a Parisian couple, already owners of an apartment dating from the 1970s–80s, set out in search of a space more conducive to family life and fixed their sights on this 78 m2 on the ninth floor of a tower overlooking Place des Fêtes in Paris. “Functional as befits homes of that era, the property already had two bedrooms, a good point, but it needed to be reimagined to suit the new daily routine of its occupants, gain light and modernity,” recalls Dario Mucedda (Le Cabinet 2D), enlisted to oversee the transformation. After a necessary update to electricity and plumbing, architect DPLG tackled the layouts, removing walls as much as possible: goodbye to a dark corridor segment, the kitchen and living room separated!

Before/After: A dated apartment transformed into a modernized, tidy, and colorful space

Open, the main room is far more pleasant to live in. The new layout of the master bedroom, adjacent to the living room and opposite the nursery corner and the enlarged bathroom, offers calm and privacy and allowed for additional storage. The challenge remained to infuse character into the whole. Working hand in hand with her clients, whose tastes he already knew from previous collaborations, Dario Mucedda shaped this future cocoon with bold color and material contrasts, delivering comfort while highlighting its identity. Thus, through the power of black, used in a full look on the cabinetry and the living-room wall, the urban panorama becomes living tableaux duly framed… completely in tune with contemporary style!

RECREATE THE DECOR OF THIS STORY AT HOME

• LIVING ROOM Coffee table “Alanda” by Paolo Piva, B&B Italia. “Knotty” pouf by Sasha Fefelova, Kumeko Design. Velvet sofa by Bolia. Cushions India Mahdavi x Monoprix; Merci; Kann Design. Rug made of cotton and sea-grass, Caravane. Matte black lacquer painting “Horus,” by Guittet. Jim Bird screen print.
• KITCHEN Cabinets, fronts and countertop Ikea. Terrace tile island by Carrément Victoire. Zellige-style glazed ceramic splashback, Marazzi. Vintage pendant light by Søren Ravn Christensen. Paint “Romantique Regal Select,” Benjamin Moore.
• BEDROOM Wall lamps “Tokyo” by Maison Sarah Lavoine. Bed linen by Merci. Curtains “Palazzo” by The Socialite Family. Paints “Nouvelle Vogue” and “Pin Solitaire,” Benjamin Moore. Photo “Marilyn Crucifix” by Bert Stern.
• BATHROOM Ikea vanity unit. Glazed ceramic stoneware splashback by Marazzi. Bathtub and fixtures from Masalledebain.com.