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Designers Emma Collet and Thomas Diettert renovated a Paris Haussmannian apartment that had not been updated since the 1970s, opening its separated rooms to improve light and movement. A black entrance and recessed black kitchen give the compact home a strong identity, while contemporary materials sit alongside original features and a family heirloom.
Designers Emma Collet and Thomas Diettert reworked a Paris Haussmannian apartment that had not been renovated since the 1970s, opening its tightly separated rooms and giving its recessed kitchen a near-black finish. The redesign responds to the client’s request for a brighter, more comfortable home while retaining the character of a traditional Paris apartment, according to a report by Livingetc.
Before the work, the apartment’s rooms were divided in a way that made movement through the home feel fragmented and stopped light from traveling easily between spaces, Livingetc reported. The designers opened up the plan and incorporated storage into the architecture. Their approach was not to recreate a single historical period, but to set contemporary interventions alongside original details and vintage pieces.
The entrance, which has no windows, is painted entirely black. It sits beside a brighter living room and recedes visually when viewed from that space. The living room combines light-colored walls, original features and a bespoke travertine fireplace. The client had initially pictured a traditional Haussmannian marble mantel, but the designers proposed a contemporary feature instead. Mirrored panels behind built-in shelving reflect the room and add depth.
The kitchen is set into a recess and remains open to the living room. Its black cabinetry and Zimbabwe granite countertop make it a distinct presence rather than a feature intended to disappear into the surrounding space. Upper cabinets and technical elements are concentrated on the opposite side from the wall facing the living room, which the designers left uncluttered. A red ceramic family heirloom, initially meant to be put away on a shelf, is displayed on its own pedestal.
How the Black Kitchen Shapes the Plan
The project’s design decision is also a response to the apartment’s compact layout: the designers did not treat brightness as a reason to make every surface pale or every feature visually quiet. Instead, the black entrance provides contrast with the living room, while the black kitchen gives the recessed cooking area a clear identity within an open plan.
Keeping the living-room-facing kitchen wall clear also shows how the redesign handles limited space. Rather than filling each available surface with storage, the designers placed cabinets and technical equipment elsewhere. The result, as described in the report, pairs a more open connection between rooms with a kitchen that still feels distinct. The heirloom’s display adds a personal element without requiring the apartment to follow a single period or style.
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From 1970s Layout to Open Rooms
The apartment’s pre-renovation condition shaped the project: its rooms were tightly separated, circulation felt fragmented and the layout restricted the movement of light. The client wanted improved comfort and brightness while preserving the character associated with a traditional Parisian home. The report does not give the apartment’s address, size, renovation date or budget.
Diettert Collet’s response combined architectural changes with material and furnishing choices. In the living room, the custom travertine fireplace takes the place of the historical-style mantel the client had imagined. In the bedroom, the report identifies a painted headboard wall and vintage objects; in the bathroom, polished concrete walls frame a mineral-cast vanity. Together with the mirrored shelving and the heirloom ceramic, these details support the designers’ stated preference for blurring the sense of time rather than matching one era.
“We prefer to blur the sense of time.”
— Emma Collet and Thomas Diettert, as quoted by Livingetc
Project Details Not Published
Livingetc’s report describes the design and selected materials, but does not state when the renovation took place, how long the work lasted, what it cost or the apartment’s exact size and location. It also does not provide the client’s name or technical details about the construction work.
The designers’ statements about how dark colors affect a room are their design rationale, not reported measurements of light or space. The article does not include post-renovation data or an independent assessment of the apartment’s brightness, circulation or storage capacity.
No Further Project Milestone Listed
The source presents the apartment as a completed design project and does not identify a future renovation phase, opening or other scheduled milestone. It is not clear whether Diettert Collet or the client plans to share further details about the work. The project’s published account remains the available source for its design choices and reported before-and-after conditions.
Key Questions
Who redesigned the apartment?
Emma Collet and Thomas Diettert of Diettert Collet carried out the design, according to Livingetc.
What was changed in the layout?
The designers opened up the plan and integrated storage into the architecture after finding that separated rooms restricted movement and the flow of light.
Why is the kitchen black?
The designers wanted the recessed, open kitchen to have a distinct character rather than blend into the surrounding rooms. Its cabinetry and countertop are black.
What is the red ceramic object?
It is a family heirloom belonging to the client. The designers gave it a pedestal so it could be displayed rather than stored on a shelf.
How much did the renovation cost?
The reported source does not give a budget, renovation timeline or exact apartment size.
Source: rss
