Très Chic: A Smart, Stylish Parisian Apartment Designed for a Young Family (and Cat, Too)




When we first encountered this exceedingly clever Paris duplex by SABO project, we wondered why it had been dubbed the “Sacha Apartment.” Is that the client’s name? Was it inspired by the street address? Turns out, Sacha is the name of the clients’ beloved cat.

We should have guessed. Among the most salient features of this gut renovation, which combined two apartments into one, are the unexpected feline-sized pass-throughs carved into multiple walls on the first floor. The owners, a young couple expecting their first child at the time, wanted a home that would be kid- and cat-friendly. SABO project delivered with a thoughtful but playful design that that is truly singular.

Below, Alex Delauney, founder of the firm, which has offices in both Brooklyn and Paris, walks us through the details.

Photography by Alex Delauney, courtesy of Sabo project. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
Above: The view from the kitchen to the entry (the front door is to the left; on the right is a powder room and a coat closet). The round enclosure marks the spiraling stairs to the lower level, where the bedrooms are; a curved door keeps Sacha, the family cat, upstairs. Above: The upper level is an open space comprised of the kitchen, living, and dining areas. Baltic birch plywood built-ins are in nearly every room for cohesiveness. Here, a large sliding door is used to partition off the kitchen if necessary. The arched cat opening on the left is where the litter box resides. Above: Even with the sliding door closed, Sacha can roam freely. Concrete ceilings were left exposed. Above: The breakfast nook, opposite the kitchen, with views of the 15th arrondissement. The Result Chairs are from Hay. A Grain Pendant Light from Muuto hangs over the table. Above: “The owners are a young, hard-working, and successful couple [and] also pretty laid back. So the idea of utilizing a simple and humble material in such ways that puts forward good custom design rather than ostentatious luxury was fitting,” says Alex, of the birch plywood cabinets and built-ins through the home. Above: The view from the dining and living areas, looking toward the entry and kitchen. The floors on the upper level are entirely white poured-in-place resin—except for in the living area, which is delineated by birch plywood flooring. Above: “Only a light satin polyurethane varnish for protection and natural finish” was used on the plywood. Both the dining table and chairs are from Hay. Above: Pegboard walls appear in the living room, entrance, and master bedroom for flexible storage and display. The Can Sofa and Armchairs are by Ronan & Erwan Bourollec. Above: The waterfall-like spiral staircase, as seen from the lower level, which features traditional oak flooring throughout. Above: A cleverly designed pegboard-cum-headboard in the master bedroom. It conceals closets behind it. Above: More birch plywood cabinets in the bathroom. Note the cutout handles. Above: The upper level layout. The entire apartment totals 1,658 square feet. Above: The lower level. The finished project combines two identical apartments (one on top of the other) for a duplex.
For more French charm, see:
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