It took a good dose of imagination to imagine oneself here, as the spaces were in their original state. Thanks to the know-how of this interior designer from Lyon, they have taken a leap in time.
Welcome to the 6th arrondissement of Lyon. If these 86 m² suited the elderly person who lived there perfectly, they no longer corresponded at all to the desires of their new owners, a young couple who called on Atelier Rivoyre to bring them back to life. A careful renovation, designed on a tight budget in four months.
Perched on the 3rd floor of a 1900 building, the apartment had a period plan: bathroom and kitchen side by side, unused storage room, disproportionate entrance and toilet, only one bedroom… and a decoration that demanded, even begged for, a new lease of life. To respond to the living project for two of her clients, interior designer Coline de Rivoyre focused on the crossing potential of the place. Thanks to numerous tailor-made arrangements, she managed to create intelligent storage – even transforming a cupboard into an office. And, on a sober base, she added colorful touches, notably blue, a wish of the couple which we discover during the visit.
But let’s focus on the reception area of the apartment. Already very dark, the original entryway was clad in dark burlap and really needed to be redesigned to become more functional. On the ground, the parquet retained all its charm.
In order to structure this vast entrance of more than 15 m², the owners first imagined tearing down the wall which separated it from the living room. Problem: over time and the transformations of the building, the partition had become load-bearing. Rather than seeing it as an obstacle, Coline de Rivoyre made it a strength by designing a large custom-made piece of furniture, in painted MDF, installed all along the wall. The element creates generous storage and restores more harmonious proportions to this reception room.
Damaged in places, the original parquet floor was sanded then varnished. Some repairs were also necessary, notably at the level of the entrance furniture… and it is impossible to distinguish them today. Proof that a well-conducted renovation can preserve the charm of the old by combining it with the present.
