Take A Look Inside This Surprisingly Livable 8 Square Meter Apartment

  Maid rooms in Paris have long been considered unattractive and secluded spaces in the beautiful Haussmann buildings, renovations commissioned napoleon III and led by Georges-Eugene Haussmann. always located on the top level under the roof, they are characterized by their small size, with a rudimentary interior aesthetic and common circulations difficult to access. over time, the rooms have known different usages, therefore losing their original purpose and becoming attics or storage closets. thereafter, the general increase in property prices has also generated a new consideration of these forgotten areas and generated a renewed housing. In response, Kitoko Studio has taken on the task of arranging an 8 square meter location for a client’s future au pair.

  In a Haussmann-style building in Paris, “away from the hustle and bustle” of the city, there is a very, very small “maid room” apartment, (barely) fit for one.

 The functional apartment, possibly one of the smallest in the city, is “accessible by a simple service door, after climbing seven floors, and crossing a long and narrow corridor.”

The 86-square-foot apartment has been transformed by China-based architecture firm Kitoko Studio for a client’s au pair, and made not only livable, but quite charming.
Despite the limited dimensions, the space had to be functional in order to sleep, cook, eat, wash, work and store a maximum amount of items. According to the studio, their architectural response that implements many different amenities refers to the ‘concept of the Swiss army knife’. The accessory is a simple knife but, by a game of sliding and folding, it can contain a multitude of tools in a very small object. Therefore, the renovation is a modular transcription of such an object with elements of storage, a bed, a table, a wardrobe, a staircase, a kitchenette and a bathroom, all fully integrated within a large closet, which can be opened and closed according to the needs and changes the perception of space. Kitoko believes, ‘the requirement of a unique multifunctional space has first been seen as a fairly complex constraint and, in the end, it became the real strength of the project.’

Wide view with the dinner table in the center of the room
Photo © Fabienne Delafraye

Closed and open views of the stepped bookshelf

Photo © Fabienne Delafraye

Opening the bed and closet
Photo © Fabienne Delafraye

Kitchenette
Photo © Fabienne Delafraye

(Left) bookshelf and AC system
(Right) bathroom interior
Photo © Fabienne Delafraye