Architect Ilya Sologubovsky tells the fascinating story of buying and repairing his apartment “pied-à-terre” in Montmartre

Living room. Sofa, Zanotta. Chairs, Maxalto. Chest of drawers, Lola Glamour. Above it is a pastel by Evgeny Zhukov.

Photo

Frederic Ducout

“Paris is more from Montmartre than Montmartre is from Paris” — this is the local saying. Montmartre itself was a haven for creative bohemians until the 1910s, when artists pushed by the development boom began to move to the Left Bank. Anyway, the attic apartments in Montmartre are still flying like hot cakes. Even the smallest ones — with an area of 9 square meters, with a communal bathroom on the floor and without an elevator.

Abstract painting, Yan Marczewski, pushed the boundaries of the living room like an additional window. Leather sofa, Zanotta. Cowhide carpet, Du Bout Du Monde.

Photo

Frederic Ducout

We were more lucky — a full forty square meters under the roof in Montmartre! Five Windows, a surviving fireplace, 2.8 m ceilings, a separate private bathroom, a view of the bell tower of the Sacre Coeur Basilica and an elevator! This could not be missed. The realtor had to be persuaded to reject other applicants.

Table, IKEA. Chairs, Vitra. Pendant lamp, Philips. Chandelier, 1960s, France, bought at a flea market. On the wall to the left are photographs of Evgeny Zhukov. Leather sofa, Zanotta. Cowhide carpet, Du Bout Du Monde.

Photo

Frederic Ducout

The smaller the area, the more jewelry and thoughtful the architect’s work becomes

Two perpendicular partitions and one load-bearing wall with a chimney seemed to leave no room for redevelopment. But the challenge is accepted! The main thing was to place two isolated rooms, combine the kitchen with the living room and make a transom window into the bathroom from the kitchen side so that daylight was everywhere.

Chest of drawers, Lola Glamour. Ceramic sneakers are an author’s work found at the Maison & Objet exhibition.

Photo

Frederic Ducout

In search of lost finishing materials, we gladly joined the favorite game of Parisians — chiner. Literally, this translates as “digging in junk”, this is the name of the process of searching for items of a given style and time, it occurs mainly at flea markets and, if successful, is a source of pride for the Frenchman.

Chair, Maxalto. Curtain rod, Corler. Chest of drawers, Lola Glamour.

Photo

Frederic Ducout

The missing fragments of the old creaking parquet became the main trophy of our hunt. Lacquered oak dies with exactly the same texture and color as in our apartment were found during the analysis of… the former gym.

Cuisine, Sagne Cuisines. Table, IKEA. Chairs, Vitra. Pendant lamp, Philips. Refrigerator, La Germania. Tea set, Marie Daâge. Floor and wall tiles, Carrelage du Marée.

Photo

Frederic Ducout

There was no heating wiring, as well as the radiators themselves, in the apartment. They were also searched for on the flea — cast-iron, century-old, suitable in size. They selected stylized shut-off valves, laid open wiring with copper pipes, because to smash the attic wall is equivalent to just laying a pipe down the street!

Bookcase, Blanc d’Ivoire. Chair, Maxalto. Coffee table, Red. On the wall there are photos of Evgeny Zhukov.

Photo

Frederic Ducout

When choosing a color, we turned to the Argile palette. They have an amazing natural-based Terre Blanche paint. It absorbs all the lighting and, like a chameleon, changes depending on the time of day, the weather outside the window, reflexes from furniture, curtains and other surfaces. She is white and not white at the same time. I would call it “natural”. As if created by nature itself, it can have a color and be transparent, emphasize the outlines of stucco molding, door panels, and maybe dissolve them.

On the shower wall there is a butterfly made of mirror ceramics, the work of Ilya Sologubovsky.

Photo

Frederic Ducout

Mosaic of ceramics, Carrelage du Marée.

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Frederic Ducout

Red, yellow, and blue shades of furniture and paintings slip through the interior with colored tracing dotted lines. A striped Lola Glamour chest of drawers, a French designer chandelier of the 1960s, a minimalist tobacco-colored leather sofa Zanotta, Maxalto armchairs in the current yellow coloring, plastic from Vitra and a Philips lamp — all together they form an architectural and design cocktail, all the ingredients of which, as in haute cuisine dishes, have their own bright taste, but do not clog others.

Children’s bedroom. Beds, Le Lit National. Bed linen and blankets, Mirabel Slabbinck. Wardrobe, AM Classic. Carpet, Nobilis. The collages on the walls are the work of graphic designer Nikita Sologubovsky.

Photo

Frederic Ducout

The missing fragments of plaster stucco were modeled in Moscow and transported in suitcases to Paris. Table, Ikea. Curtain rod, Corler.

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Frederic Ducout

There were stories typical of old Parisian houses. The 140 cm wide bed did not pass through the narrow spiral staircase. It had to be sawed in half and assembled on the spot.

Parents’ bedroom. Bed, Treca de Paris, upholstered by Holland & Sherry. Bed linen, Mia Zia. Bedspread, Blanc d’Ivoire. On the left wall there are drawings by Maria Lvova.

Photo

Frederic Ducout

A textile curtain instead of a bedroom door saves space and at the same time creates a theatrical effect. And the French fleur is responsible for the Trompe-l’oeil (“deception of vision”) made in the style the fabric with the image of the library separating the mini-dressing room.

Chandelier made of bronze with silver plating, Mathieu Lustrerie. Decorative curtain with books, Koziel. Bureau, Lola Glamour. Curtains, Créations Métaphores. Cornice, Corler.

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Frederic Ducout

The layout of the apartment is 40 m2, the project of Ilya Sologubovsky, www.studiodeco.ru .

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decouser

Polina Chesova

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