A small 40sqm apartment in chic Parisian style

This small 40sqm apartment (430 sq ft) is anything but minimalist. Designer Elsa Khabibrakhmanova renovated it for its owner, who wanted a truly personal style. She proposed deep colors, glossy materials, and touches of gold.

The choice immediately evokes the glamour of Parisian salons in the Roaring Twenties. The designer builds a dense, almost theatrical decor. Every room keeps a clear function thanks to a well-conceived layout. Concealed storage gives the space a sense of serenity. Glossy surfaces multiply the natural light in this compact space.

This project is a lesson in bold color that can be carried across every surface. Its aesthetic can inspire fans of sophisticated decor. It is a reminder that an interior's charm never depends on its size. A compact apartment can also be deeply personal through its materials and colors.

An entryway dressed in beige and taupe

The entryway uses a soft, muted palette of beige and taupe. Floor-to-ceiling storage swallows coats and shoes. A large wall mirror efficiently enlarges this small area. It reflects natural light toward the back of the hallway. Gold handles punctuate every storage door.

They already announce the precious-metal spirit found throughout the apartment. This entryway works as an elegant airlock before you discover the main room. It prepares the eye for the bolder shades of the rooms that follow.

A living area dominated by burgundy and brass

The living room shows off a burgundy, black, and off-white palette across all the walls. Brass highlights every line with quiet elegance. This combination recalls the chic salons of Parisian Haussmannian buildings. The space is open to the kitchen, which avoids any feeling of confinement despite the dark shades chosen.

Natural light flows through the space and softens the intensity of the colors. This compact living room asserts a strong identity. The furniture has low, compact lines so it never blocks the view.

A kitchen with burgundy cabinets

The kitchen features burgundy cabinet fronts. Its black marble-look countertop adds a luxurious note. A gold range hood catches the eye at the center of the room. It is an unexpected choice that reinforces the sense of elegance in a space that can be too plain and technical. Here, that is not the case: glamour extends even into this area. This kitchen feels more like a hushed cocktail bar than a classic utilitarian space.

An almost theatrical dining nook

The sofa sits against a wall covered in landscape wallpaper that brings the room to life. This romantic touch softens the rigor of the black and burgundy lines in the decor. A very 1930s chandelier with glass pendants lights the room as evening falls. It is a kind of luminous jewel, perfectly in tune with the spirit sought throughout the apartment. This pairing creates the atmosphere of an elegant Parisian dinner, just as one imagines it in the last century. The dining nook becomes a real stage for entertaining guests.

A bedroom dressed in burgundy velvet

The bedroom picks up the burgundy shade with an imposing, generous tufted bed. Gray textiles provide a gentle counterpoint to this deep color. Brown curtains add a welcome layer of autumnal warmth to the room. A round backlit mirror casts a soft glow through the space. It is a place that brings to mind the Parisian boudoirs of days gone by.

Every material chosen reinforces this feeling of an enveloping refuge. The combination of velvet and burgundy creates a warm, refined mood. This bedroom invites rest, far from the bustle of the living area. It encourages relaxation despite the use of strong colors.







A built-in closet and a narrow vanity

A built-in closet makes the most of every available inch and provides room for clothes. It blends in with the surrounding decor. A narrow vanity slides against the wall and can double as a small desk if desired. This meticulous organization confirms the attention paid to the smallest details of the apartment. It illustrates a smart way to furnish a medium-sized bedroom.

A glamorous bathroom

The bathroom repeats the burgundy with its elegant fluted vanity. Marble-look tile covers the walls to stay within the luxurious style the owner wanted. An arched backlit mirror amplifies the sense of space in this small room. Its rounded shape softens the rather strict lines of the selected furniture. The whole evokes the bathrooms of Parisian mansions from the last century. Each material converses with the others to create a harmonious, cohesive decor.

A utility area concealed with elegance

The washer and dryer are stacked to free up floor space. This practical solution stays discreet behind the burgundy fluted cabinet fronts. Function and aesthetics coexist easily in this small space. No appliance disrupts the room's visual consistency. This choice allows the functional bathroom to keep an elegant look.

A timeless color palette

Burgundy, black, off-white, and brass recur from room to room. This repetition creates a visible common thread from the entryway to the bathroom. The glossy surfaces, from the countertop to the range hood, bounce light around cleverly and amplify the sense of space.

Matte materials, like the velvet of the bed, balance this constant shine. This dialogue between matte and glossy recalls the codes of Parisian Art Deco style. It gives the apartment the look of a precious jewelry box and lifts it out of the ordinary.

Our take on this decor

With this apartment, we are convinced that small space does not necessarily mean minimalism. Burgundy, black, and brass play off each other in balance, while mirrors and glossy surfaces multiply the light and make up for the limited square footage. The landscape wallpaper in the living area adds a theatrical touch that fits perfectly in such an environment. The gold range hood is probably the apartment's most surprising element. This decor recalls the glamour of chic Parisian interiors, somewhere between Art Deco and antique jewelry.

A bet that pays off, balancing character and function

The concealed storage, from the entryway to the bedroom, ensures a sense of serenity despite the richness of the decor. Its built-in closet and narrow vanity are modern elements that blend well with this old-world spirit thanks to good aesthetic choices. The washer stacked on the dryer frees up precious space in the bathroom while staying discreet.

The end result is an interior that stays in your memory once you have discovered it. It is far from the usual uniform small spaces. It is a place that feels like a jewelry box and invites us to rethink small spaces with boldness and personality, and all without sacrificing modern comfort.