Create zones without putting up physical partitions We can always count on Paris to provide a much-needed dollop of decor inspiration that is simultaneously practical, like this renovation that incorporates different flooring materials to demarcate spaces in a compact apartment. This update in an old mansion block in the 17th arrondissement accomplishes a similar feat, using floors and painted walls to open up space and make room for a growing family.
But beyond creating different zones, the project, helmed by local studio Les Ateliers Tristan & Sagitta, required a more drastic change: Expanding their home to the floor above. In order to eke out as much space from the expansion as possible, the studio came up with an ingenious idea to create the most minimalist, discreet connection between the two floors as possible.
The result is a white, metal-framed staircase that has been stripped to its basic components of seemingly floating treads with open banisters and negative-space risers. This solution leaves the area below the steps completely open and allows for light to filter through from the floor above.
To separate the kitchen from the all-white living area, the handsome chevron floor stops at the threshold of the kitchen, where the smooth surface has been painted a dark green, which also covers the walls. Upstairs, in the children?s room, the floor is split in half, with chevron on one side, and grey carpeting on the other. Visually connecting t...