Single-Level Apartment in France Turned into Welcoming Duplex

This single-level apartment in the city of Rennes, France, no longer served the living needs of its owners, a couple with a young child. The inhabitants enlisted French office Studio mAAb to open up the attic of the building to create a double-height interior.

Moreover, the design team incorporated two wooden inserts and a mezzanine walkway into the space, thus turning the small apartment into a welcoming duplex.

“Clad in timber, the two volumes at either end reinforce the double-height reading of the space and generate a sense of suspension,” the architects explained. “The concept allows for evolution as one of the wood inserts can be transformed into another bedroom in the future.”

The two wooden structures create a space in between that hosts a work area overlooking the living room and kitchen below. A bedroom and shower are tucked away to one side of the common space, close to the mezzanine walkway.

We love how everything was kept simple, with the plywood surfaces adding a warm feel against the walls painted in white. Here and there, splashes of color add a personal, dynamic touch. Photography credits: Jeremias Gonzalez