This Tiny 270-Square-Foot Office in Paris Was Transformed Into a Family Home Bursting With French Charm

A 25m² office offering just under 270 square feet of usable space could never become a holiday home for two adults and two children, could it? With the help of well-known designer Marianne Evennou, that’s exactly what happened.

Katharina and Jean-Cyril have a 25m² pied-à-terre in Paris that they use as an office near the Marché des Enfants Rouges, the oldest covered food market in Paris. However, the Switzerland-based couple and their children needed a family-friendly living space they could use on their frequent visits. It made complete sense to transform their office into a duplex with a sleeping loft.

While many original features were kept, like the original terracotta flooring, designer Marianne incorporated modern furniture, raw woods, marble surfaces, and wicker lighting with a gorgeous mix of sand and blue tones to transform the space into a contemporary and welcoming family home.

Now, it consists of a grand entrance, a multi-functional living space with a desk that flows into a set of stairs leading to a loft, a kitchen tucked under the loft, and a practical bathroom. But it’s not just about practicality. Marianne also injected much-needed style. There’s a structured pattern hand-painted above the sofa that adds a modern touch, as well as a set of watercolors by Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach.

This once impractical pied-à-terre is now a fully functional short-term accommodation to make Katharina and Jean-Cyril’s visits to Paris far more comfortable.

This moody blue space is the grand entrance to Katharina and Jean-Cyril’s duplex with a sleeping loft, which designer Marianne Evennou transformed from an office. It’s located in the Le Marais, near the Marché des Enfants Rouges – the oldest food market in Paris. It spans just 25m² and offers just under 270 square feet of usable space. This entry opens into one main living room.

After coming through the entrance, you enter a deceivingly spacious living area with a floor-to-ceiling window and two feature lights. The multi-functional space is designed for relaxing and working with a comfortable sofa that folds out into a bed for two and a long, low custom plywood unit that doubles as a bookcase and morphs into a staircase.

The sofa, with room for all four occupants, is tucked into a nook below a beam that has been painted to blend in. The entire room has a gorgeous range of sand and blue shades.

The geometric hand-painted pattern behind the sofa helped set the palette for the rest of the home. According to the home designer, Marianne, it adds a modern touch to an 18^th-century building and is just like a piece of art.

The kitchen is tucked away under a loft, with wooden stairs featuring storage leading up to it.

The kitchen is nothing short of stunning. It boasts Carrara marble counters and backsplash and has a small quality ceramic Villeroy & Boch timbre d’office sink.

The pegboard wall in the kitchen adds a hint of modernity to the home. It’s a practical storage space for everyday kitchen utensils and equipment.

Storage has been cleverly installed into the stairs, underneath the floating staircase. It does triple-duty as a bookshelf and makeshift desk, as well.

The original 18^th-century terracotta tiles have been left in the living area. They contrast against the blue kitchen cabinetry and flooring.

The bookshelf is undoubtedly the focal point in the living area. It has plenty of storage space for books and doubles as a workbench.

It also flows into the stairs leading to the loft. The wall above it is a brilliant open space for a set of watercolor paintings by Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach.

The children sleep in the loft bedroom above the kitchen. Katharina and Jean-Cyril sleep on the sofa in the living room that folds out to a bed.

The children’a bedroom is decorated with black-and-white photograms by James Welling, bringing a graphic, artful edge to the compact space

The moody bathroom is tucked away behind the kitchen. The concrete space with blue walls is a tidy and tiny escape.

In just 25 square meters, Marianne Evennou proved that smart design can turn even the smallest footprint into a warm, functional, and stylish family retreat—perfect for Katharina and Jean-Cyril’s Paris getaways.