Architecture

Ingenious use of space turns tiny Paris room into functional apartment

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Kitoko Studio has turned an 8 sq m (86 sq ft) former maid's room in Paris into a functional apartment with clever use of space (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
Kitoko Studio has turned an 8 sq m (86 sq ft) former maid's room in Paris into a functional apartment with clever use of space (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
A staircase with built-in storage slides out from the wall and leads up to a sleeping space (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
Storage and workspace units slide out from the wall (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
The slide-out workspace doubles as a kitchen table (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
An additional slide-out storage cupboard and a boiler cupboard also containing bookshelves are built into the space below the bed compartment (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
A shallow boiler cupboard and bookcase is hidden in the wall (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
A raised sleeping space is hidden behind a sliding doors (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
The facilities can be hidden away behind the wall to free up space in the room (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
There is a small kitchenette at one end of the room (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
Two stools are stored within the the pull-out workspace-cum-table unit (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
A wetroom is also hidden behind the wall (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
One large window allows light into the room (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
The workspace-cum-table can be completely removed from the wall (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
Shelves for storage are built into the slide of staircase (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
The wetroom is hidden behind a door (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
Wardrobe and storage space slides out from the wall (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
The boiler cupboard and bookcase are hidden behind a door (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)
A plan of the redeveloped maid's room
A plan of the redeveloped maid's room
View gallery - 19 images

When you're working with a limited amount of space, making the most of a room requires innovative thinking. One room in Paris demonstrates exactly that kind of approach. The former maid's room squeezes all the facilities of a full apartment into just 8 sq m (86 sq ft).

Designed by Kitoko Studio, the maid's room is housed in an Haussmann-period building that now functions as an apartment block in the 17th arrondissement (or district) of Paris. Maid's rooms were typically very small and rudimentary. After falling out of use for their initial purpose, they are now often used for other functions such as storage.

Kitoko's clients were in need of a living space for an au pair, but did not have space in their own apartment. As such, they turned to the former maid's room as a potential solution. Kitoko was tasked with developing the space into something less like a room and more like a self-contained apartment, so that the eventual au pair would be afforded some degree of independence. The result is a very efficient and clever use of space, as is the case with the tiny houses that Gizmag features.

A staircase with built-in storage slides out from the wall and leads up to a sleeping space (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)

The room features a staircase that pulls out of a lower cupboard and leads up to a compartment containing a single bed. The compartment is hidden behind sliding doors, which can be closed to hide it or to isolate it from daylight. It has its own internal light for reading or seeing in the dark. The staircase, meanwhile, doubles as a means for storage, with shelving built into the steps.

Like the staircase, a wardrobe and a table-cum-worktop both slide out from underneath the bed compartment. Two stools are stored underneath the table and can be easily removed for use or slotted back into place. An additional slide-out storage cupboard and a boiler cupboard also containing bookshelves are built into the space below the bed compartment.

Two stools are stored within the the pull-out workspace-cum-table unit (Photo: Fabienne Delafraye)

At one end of the room, there is a kitchenette, with a fridge and a microwave below the worktop. The worktop can be lifted up to reveal a sink, or can remain flat to provide a space for food preparation. A small but fully functional wetroom, meanwhile, is hidden behind a door at the side of the room. The room manages to contain a toilet, shower and bathroom sink, despite its modest size.

The project was completed recently. The video below shows how space in the room is used.

Source: Kitoko Studio

View gallery - 19 images
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4 comments
EddieG
Somewhat clever, except that access to the bed is suicidal. This wouldn't pass the most casual safety inspection. I think a better job could have been done with that. Motor-driven collapsible stairs come to mind, as wide as the bed, with handrails of course. Even a powered, stowable lift platform. Since the bed and bathroom are on two different levels, those with bladder issues might have problems here. A chamber pot might be a wise addition.
Overall it looks like a child built it. Sorry Kitoko.
Buzzclick
Wow. An apartment in a space less than the area of three sheets of plywood! All the amenities are packed into this tiny space without the feeling of being cramped, for a young person on a budget.
The toilet in the shower is brilliant. The wheat stalk graphics on the compartment doors make a huge difference in the feel. Add some artwork and a flat screen on the opposite walls, two collapsible recliners, and you're good to go.
Kitoko. A very Japanese approach?
the.other.will
The room is intended for an au pair. Someone who has trouble getting up to & down from the bed probably doesn't qualify for the job, either. Even so, I would prefer a murphy bed (tilts at the head end to store in a recess in a wall) Sinks inside shower stalls have been around for many years. It would be interesting to do a side by side comparison of this design with shipboard cabins of comparable size.
Luke Beauchamp
This is a pretty poor space. Where's the couch? Where's the TV? I guess the dining table could serve as a desk for a laptop but those stools wouldn't suit for using a computer for more than a few minutes. I guess the life of an au pair doesn't need a computer or TV. If they work 18 hours per day, they wouldn't have time for either.