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Caroline Duncan’s 39sqm/420sqft Paris apartment is shaped by practicality and personal touches. Set in the hilltop neighbourhood of Jourdain, the space blends a refined aesthetic with just the right amount of texture – where cat-friendly fabrics, repurposed materials, and thoughtful storage are tailored to how the space is actually lived in.
“For me, the priority in living here was really maximising the large living space, since that’s where I spend most of my time. Having a big bathroom or bedroom wasn’t important, as I don’t spend much time in those areas.”
“We installed all the IKEA units ourselves and cut, fastened, and painted all of the doors. We made a lot of mistakes and learnt a lot along the way! We didn’t have access to a workshop or an outdoor space, so we built everything in here.”
Inspiration comes from many places. For architect Caroline Duncan’s Parisian apartment, much of it began with Never Too Small videos (something we are thrilled to hear). “I watched a lot of episodes for inspiration,” she gladly admits. Her equally delightful influence was boat living: “I love the way everyone lives out on the deck, and the bedroom and bathroom spaces are optimised to the millimetre to fulfil their primary function.” Duncan’s relaxed yet refined 39sqm/420sqft home, which she shares with her partner Hector and their cat Simon, reflects both of these inspirations in abundance. Set in the hilltop neighbourhood of Jourdain in Paris’ 19th arrondissement, it feels both connected and removed from the bustle below.
It began with what already existed: an early 20th-century workers’ apartment, partially opened up by a previous owner. Duncan reimagined the space to truly bring it back to life. The lion’s share of the new floorplan is reserved for the open living and kitchen areas, where they spend most of their time, while the bedroom and bathroom are kept compact. Along with prioritising one large, multifunctional living area, she added custom storage in the living room, laundry cupboard, and beneath the banquette, integrated the WC into the main bathroom, and raised the bedroom on a platform to accommodate plumbing and maximise flow. Throughout, elements fold away, storage is built in, furniture is modular, and even the cat’s movements through the space have been carefully considered – common threads in many of the homes we share.
What makes Duncan’s home so polished is the seamless story of layout and light it tells. What makes it so relaxed is the clever, accessible design choices she has made to pull it all together. The kitchen was created using IKEA Method kitchen modules. Duncan custom-painted the doors and added porcelain handles she inherited from her parents’ kitchen. She created a storage wall in the main living area by combining IKEA kitchen modules and Pax units. To ensure consistency and a polished aesthetic, she had a joiner custom-make upper cabinet modules to match the differing dimensions of the rest of the units. This focus on concealed yet functional storage keeps space open for the personal touches that make a home feel considered and lived-in.
Beyond its streamlined layout, the apartment thrives on the beauty of handmade and repurposed details. Duncan sewed noren curtains to frame hidden storage in the entryway and bedroom, while her mother crafted the striped yellow banquette cushions that “bring touches of joy in the long winter months,” she describes. Duncan chose green felt for the convertible sofa – knowing it’s one of the few materials her cat won’t scratch – and reupholstered the dining chairs in dark blue velvet (another fabric the cat has no interest in using as a scratching post). In the bedroom, seeing there wasn’t enough space to move comfortably around the bed, Duncan trimmed 15 cm off the planks of her bed and repurposed the offcuts as floating shelves. The tactile mix of felt, velvet, and woven jute in the bedroom paired with the striped fabric of the living room layers the home with a softness that contrasts with the bold lines of the joinery.
A key aspect that sets this home apart is Duncan’s down-to-earth approach to small-space living. The apartment carries sentiment without feeling cluttered, staying fresh and welcoming. In creating her own home in Paris, she recognises the importance and potential of making the old new again, explaining, in her words, “In a city like Paris, where housing is scarce, it’s important to bring new life to small, older apartments that often sit unused. Updating these spaces to reflect how people live today makes them more accessible for the future.”
