Inès Deschodt transforms a compact 50-square-metre apartment into a fluid, contemporary space full of character. Chosen for the floors, Microtopping® creates a bright, seamless base that interacts with designer furniture, green accents, and cream-coloured surfaces.
In Boulogne, France, interior designer Inès Deschodt redesigned a 50-square-metre apartment to welcome natural light and strengthen its connection with the outdoors, creating a space defined by elegance and personality. The owner, who had already lived in the apartment for several years, wanted to modernise the space and open it up towards the large 30-square-metre terrace. From this desire came a project centred on spatial fluidity, material continuity, and a refined balance between domestic intimacy and convivial living.
The first design intervention involved the internal layout. By reshaping the openings and removing a load-bearing pillar that obstructed the passage of light, the designer transformed the living area into an airy, luminous space, with the kitchen now integrated into the living room. The large full-height windows become the focal point of the apartment, allowing natural light to enter while establishing a constant visual relationship with the terrace. From the entrance, a long corridor leads towards the living area and provides access to the laundry room and the sleeping area, conceived as a suite with a bedroom and adjoining bathroom.
The identity of the apartment is defined by a sophisticated material palette, where wood, steel, glass, glossy lacquer, and polished concrete coexist with designer furniture and bold details. For the floors, Microtopping® was chosen: a seamless coating that can be applied to any surface in a thickness of just 3 mm. This solution helps create continuity between the different areas of the apartment, forming a uniform, bright, and contemporary visual base. Its essential texture interacts with the cream-coloured surfaces and rounded corners, generating a soft, enveloping backdrop that enhances the carefully selected furniture and objects. Among them, Michel Ducaroy’s Togo sofa, vintage tables, iconic lamps, and contemporary artworks contribute to an interior that is cultured, dynamic, and never predictable.
The intense green of a ceramic work by Maximilien Pellet, already part of the owner’s collection, became the chromatic starting point for the entire project. From this came the choice of kitchen wall units in a distinctive lacquered meadow green, echoed by the bench at the entrance to the terrace. Used in precise accents, colour introduces energy and brightness without compromising the overall harmony of the spaces.
In the night area, okoumé wood panels warm the atmosphere and guide the eye towards the bathroom, where the continuity of Microtopping® helps maintain a coherent and refined design language. The custom-made fluted glass wall separates the spaces while allowing light to filter through discreetly, preserving privacy while maintaining a sense of openness. Built-in wardrobes and rigorously designed storage solutions complete a space conceived to be functional, elegant, and enveloping.
Redesigned by landscape designer Victor Prevostet, the terrace acts as a natural extension of the apartment beneath the shade of oleanders. Terracotta flooring, integrated seating, and green fabrics create an intimate and welcoming urban oasis. The tracks of the sliding door, perfectly integrated into the floor, remove any visual interruption: inside and outside merge into a single narrative, where light, material, and colour interact with natural ease.
2025
Boulogne, France
Designer: Ines Deschodt
Ph: Oracle – Clément Gérard
Applicator: Id instinctif design