How do you bring a cramped 19th century apartment into the present? For architects Florent Chagny and Marion Bernard of Flca, it's all about choosing the right materials. And for this 538-square-foot duplex in Paris, they selected an unconventional mix to give the apartment a new identity that was more in line with their client's contemporary style. The architects chose oriented strand board (OSB) as the primary material, using it to create everything from cabinets to flooring to furniture. OSB is generally used for structural purposes and is hidden away within walls or beneath floors, but Chagny and Bernard wanted to highlight the inexpensive boards throughout the space.
To make the most of the limited square footage, the team removed several partitions to create an open kitchen that flows into the living area and entryway. A spiral staircase from the '90s was replaced with custom steel stairs, and they also added a glass partition in the mezzanine level's bedroom, allowing light to pass between the two floors. The finished project is an of-the-moment space that lets its humble industrial materials shine.
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