There’s a Lot of Y2K Style Packed Into This 600-Square-Foot Paris Apartment

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Project Details:

Location: Paris, France

Architect: Zyva Studio / @zyvastudio

Footprint: 592 square feet

Photographer: Yohann Fontaine / @yohann_fontaine

From the Architect: "A resolutely maximalist mini loft may be be the best way to describe architect and Zyva Studio founder Anthony Authié’s latest project. A generous volume and high ceilings were all it took to convince the young Parisian architect to take on this 592-square-foot space, located within an old industrial building in the suburban town of Bagnolet, close to Paris.

"Authié used the space to experiment with various blends of shapes, colors, motifs, and material in order to create a playful and ultra-graphic universe. Having grown up in the 2000s, Authié incorporated various references to his youth within the project to create what he calls ‘an aesthetic narrative.’

"The floor and the walls are covered with a sleek gray terrazzo, reminiscent of the showy materials used in villas on reality TV shows. The bedroom and bathroom are rendered in monochromatic yellow and green, as if painted with neon highlighters. The handles of the kitchen doors, all 3D-printed, resemble the spiky turtle shells of the Mario Bros franchise. The light fixtures are LED strips akin to the strobes of techno clubs. The flame motif is a reference to the world of car tuning where the hoods of vehicles are highly customized. The metal covering the kitchen cabinets and cupboards is an ode to Mr. Freeze’s costume, a villain featured in Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin.

"Bursts of color give way to an apartment with a rationally structured space. The apartment was also designed to house cartoon-inspired furniture. The architect therefore called on various designers he admires, among other things, to find company for his 'Bandit' chair. Named after the fictional criminal Dalton brothers from popular Belgian comics Lucky Look, the chair was created in collaboration with carpenter Maxime Cornet. 

"This project allowed the Zyra Studio agency to create new linguistic elements belonging to an architectural vocabulary that is entirely its own, a form of architecture that is both uninhibited and pluralistic."