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Designers Emma Collet and Thomas Diettert renovated a Paris Haussmannian apartment that had not been updated since the 1970s. Their redesign opens the previously divided layout and gives the recessed kitchen a distinct identity with black cabinetry and Zimbabwe granite, while pairing contemporary features with original details and vintage objects.
Designers Emma Collet and Thomas Diettert have reworked a Haussmannian apartment in Paris that had not been renovated since the 1970s, opening its divided layout and giving a recessed kitchen a bold identity with black cabinetry and a Zimbabwe granite countertop. The project pairs those contemporary choices with original architectural features and vintage pieces, responding to the client’s request for a brighter, more comfortable home that retained the character of a traditional Paris apartment, according to Livingetc.
Before the renovation, the apartment’s rooms were tightly separated, which the designers said made movement through the home feel fragmented and limited how light traveled. They opened up the plan and integrated storage into the architecture. Rather than reproduce a single historical style, they combined new interventions with existing features and objects that already had a place in the client’s life.
The entrance, a small windowless area, is painted entirely black. It recedes from view when seen from the living room, which is kept light with Farrow & Ball School House White and All White. A black-framed opening marks the kitchen’s connection to the living space. The kitchen itself sits in a recess and remains open to the living room, with black cabinets and a Zimbabwe granite countertop giving it a strong visual presence.
The designers left the kitchen wall facing the living room uncluttered, moving upper cabinets and technical elements to the opposite side. The living room also combines original details with a bespoke travertine fireplace and built-in shelving backed by mirrored panels. In the bedroom and bathroom, the material palette includes a painted headboard wall and polished concrete, according to Livingetc. A red ceramic family heirloom, initially intended for a shelf, was placed on its own pedestal.
A Small Plan With a Stronger Identity
The renovation illustrates how a compact apartment can be reorganized without relying on pale surfaces or concealed features alone to create a sense of space. Here, the designers used a dark entrance and kitchen as deliberate contrasts, while opening the plan and leaving parts of the kitchen wall clear. The result, as described by the designers, is a home where the kitchen remains visible and characterful rather than being made to disappear.
The project also shows how renovation decisions can preserve personal history alongside architectural character. The family’s red ceramic heirloom is treated as a focal object, not just decoration, while the fireplace introduces a contemporary feature instead of copying a traditional marble mantel. These choices matter to readers considering older homes because they demonstrate the specific trade-offs at work: changing circulation and storage while retaining a connection to the apartment’s past.
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From Divided Rooms to Open Plan
Haussmannian apartments are associated with traditional Parisian architecture, and the client wanted this home to keep that character while becoming brighter and more comfortable. According to Livingetc’s account, the existing layout had not been renovated since the 1970s and separated the rooms in a way that interrupted movement and light. The designers’ response was to open the plan and make storage part of the architecture, rather than fill every wall or recreate a period interior.
The designers described their aim as blurring the sense of time. That approach is visible in the contrast between the apartment’s original features, the newly designed travertine fireplace, mirrored shelving and the client’s older objects. The client had initially imagined a traditional Haussmannian marble mantel, but the designers proposed a contemporary feature that would create a dialogue between periods, Livingetc reported.
“We prefer to blur the sense of time.”
— Emma Collet and Thomas Diettert, as quoted by Livingetc
Project Details Not Reported
Livingetc’s report does not give the apartment’s address, floor area, renovation budget or project timeline. It also does not specify whether any structural changes were required to open the plan, or provide information about permits, contractors or construction methods. The designers’ comments describe their intentions and choices; the source does not provide measurements or independent assessments of how the renovation changed light levels or usable space.
The supplied report presents the completed interior but does not state when the work was finished. No information is provided about the client beyond details of their preferences and family heirloom, and the client is not named.
No Further Project Milestone Listed
The available report does not identify a forthcoming construction phase, follow-up announcement or next milestone. It presents the apartment as a completed design project and attributes its details to designers Emma Collet and Thomas Diettert. Any further information about the project’s schedule, costs or technical work would need to come from the designers, client or another source.
Key Questions
Who redesigned the Paris apartment?
Emma Collet and Thomas Diettert redesigned the apartment, according to Livingetc.
What changed in the apartment’s layout?
The designers opened up a previously divided plan and integrated storage into the architecture. They said the earlier layout interrupted movement and kept light from traveling through the home.
Why is the kitchen black?
The designers wanted the recessed kitchen to have its own character rather than blend into the surrounding space. It has black cabinetry and a Zimbabwe granite countertop.
What is the living room’s main new feature?
A bespoke travertine fireplace anchors the room. The designers proposed it instead of the traditional Haussmannian marble mantel the client had initially imagined.
When was the renovation completed?
The Livingetc report does not state when the renovation was completed. It says the apartment had not been renovated since the 1970s before the designers’ work.
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