Budget Breakdown: With $69K, They Made Their Little Paris Cottage Feel Like a Greenhouse

A pair of architects infuse their 1930 house in Montreuil with sunshine and a soothing palette. "Plants, sun, and coffee—what else does one need?"

Nov 19, 2024 - 19:34
Budget Breakdown: With $69K, They Made Their Little Paris Cottage Feel Like a Greenhouse

A pair of architects infuse their 1930 house in Montreuil with sunshine and a soothing palette. "Plants, sun, and coffee—what else does one need?"

A pair of architects infused their 1930 house in Montreuil with sunshine and a soothing palette.

When architects Olivier Lekien and Mathilde Nicoulaud went on the hunt for a new home in Paris that would accommodate their growing family, they set their sights on areas outside the city’s hustle and bustle. "We wanted to stay in Paris for our work, but we also wanted a peaceful cocoon that felt like it was in the countryside," says Olivier. 

<span style="font-family: Theinhardt, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif;">Before: Architects Olivier Lekien and Mathilde Nicoulaud purchased a small cottage in the Parisian suburb of Montreil and set about renovating it with a budget of €65K.</span>

Before: Architects Olivier Lekien and Mathilde Nicoulaud purchased a small cottage in the Parisian suburb of Montreil and set about renovating it with a budget of €65K. 

Photo courtesy of Atelier olk

Architects Mathilde Nicoulaud and Olivier Lekien recreated a 1930 compact house in Montreuil, France, on the outskirts of Paris as their ideal family home.

The couple turned the compact house built in 1930 into their ideal family home.

Photo courtesy of Atelier olk

The eastern suburb of Montreuil, a short bicycle ride from Paris proper, is full of small, cottage-like houses that give it the feeling of a quaint village—exactly the kind of place Olivier and Mathilde were looking for.

The architects replaced a traditional wall with a glass extension that floods the kitchen with natural light.

The architects replaced a kitchen wall with a glass extension that floods the room with natural light.

Photo courtesy of Atelier olk

See the full story on Dwell.com: Budget Breakdown: With $69K, They Made Their Little Paris Cottage Feel Like a Greenhouse
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