meetings
Freelancer for a day: apartment renovation by Nathalie
Every month, decoclico invites a "freelancer for a day" to write an article on the theme of his/her choice!
This month, it's Nathalie, @ regardsetmaisons on Instagram, of the blog of the same name, who takes us behind the scenes of the renovation of her 40m2 apartment in Narbonne. An interior decorator and scenographer, she created a sunny, bohemian decor for this two-room apartment before its final transformation.
We left her the keys to the Magazine, and let you discover her before/after!
We bought this small apartment at the beginning of June 2019. Its location, next to the mythical Halles market in Narbonne and its pretty little private staircase in green terrazo seduced us. The apartment in the heart of town is only fifteen minutes from the beaches.
Inside, everything needed redoing. But we were close to the vacations and the major renovation work could only start in September. So, to make the most of the summer, we decided to carry out a 2-stage renovation: phase 1, a refresh and temporary decoration, and phase 2, a total renovation.
For phase 1, we removed all the wallpaper and repainted the entire apartment in white. For the decor, I chose a simple bohemian vacation spirit, while keeping some of the furniture left by the previous owners.
I didn't touch the existing kitchen countertop, which will be demolished in phase 2. I just stuck stickers on the earthenware to modernize it a little. On the floor, a large carpet was added to hide the ugly tiles stuck on the terrazzo. I replaced the dark hanging lights with rope ones.
There wasn't one. I created a sitting area in a small corner of the kitchen, using the sofa I'd salvaged from the back room. It served as a bed. I covered it with a sofa cover and made some cushions. Above the sofa, I used a rug as a wall decoration, and a few round placemats were placed on the other wall.
I used the same hanging lamp as in the kitchen, bought a round rug in natural fibers and added a small coffee table I already had.
Once repainted in white wall and ceiling, it was wallpapered in dark blue with brown panelling, and gained in light. I added a beautiful round mirror to the existing bathroom cabinet. We added a couple of accessories and a plain shower curtain. Only the shower will remain in the same place in phase 2. The bathroom is small but will be more functional after the work.
The back room was transformed into a large sleeping area with a double bed on one side and a single bed on the other. I had envisaged a pretty screen between the 2 spaces, but in the end I left it open as I wouldn't have the chance to use it again in phase 2 of the renovation. Instead, I invested in a plant wall hanging that I hung opposite the double bed. For storage, I chose to install simple open shelves that I already had. A ladder I'd found at the waste disposal center doubles as a hanging space. I chose bed linen in natural tones of water green and sand. I hung 2 small mirrors over the bed to catch the light.
This temporary transformation took us 2 long weekends with the family. We were really happy with this small, low-cost makeover. We were able to enjoy the apartment during the vacations, giving us more time to think about the next stage of the renovation.
News, decorating tips... Subscribe to our newsletter to follow
all the latest updates
