Très Chic Parisian Micro Digs
While Japan might be the nation most associated with micro living, the French hold their own in terms packing big design in small spaces. Case in point are BioApparts I and II, a pair of Parisian micro-apartments designed by Karawitz Architecture. BioAppart I is 193 sq ft and BioAppart II is 172 sq ft; they were designed for client Esther Baumann and meant as prototypes for a replicable rental properties.
As the “bio” prefix implies, there was a heavy emphasis placed on making the apartments as earth-and-human-friendly as possible. Here’s are some of the features Karawitz included in BioAppart I:
[The] cabling is “shielded” for the elimination of magnetic fields, lights and taps are energy saving. The attic is insulated with hemp, the remaining walls and the ceiling are painted with emission-free bio-friendly paint. All the furniture is of solid timber construction, with birchwood veneers. The bathroom and kitchen are finished in cement stucco, based on the Moroccan “tadelakt” technique, in order to provide a surface finish which is waterproof. The little most of the Bioappart: a “living” wall with a clay finish that absorbs or releases humidity according to the hygrometry of the room, it can also diffuse essential oils.
Both apartments feature very high quality looking finishes and elegant, minimalist designs. One of the great things about small spaces is that even when you opt for high quality materials, the reduction of area needed to remodel keeps costs manageable. The price of a full renovation on BioAppart I was reported to be $57K.
If you like the BioApparts and you’re in Paris, it looks like you can rent them out. Though we couldn’t find either BioApparts I or II, Baumann appears to have a few other places for rent around Paris that look pretty swell too.
Photos by: Mischa Witzmann