3 AVENUE DE LA LIBERATION REZE 44400 FRANCE
Interior renovation of a 53 m² apartment
Location
3 avenue de la liberation 44400 Reze France
3 avenue de la liberation 44400 Reze France
Year
March 18 2023
Photo
Jenelyn Maga
March 18 2023
Photo
Jenelyn Maga
I am deeply grateful to JB, who has worked with me patiently for the past 12 years on multiple projects. Your commitment are truly appreciated.
I dedicate this project to my son, Zachary, whose patience and understanding have been a constant source of strength throughout this journey.
To Josiane, Katia, Jonathan, and Philippe — my family in France — I couldn't have done this without you.
And to Lee, Jerry, and Benny — my family in the Philippines —thank you from the bottom of my heart.
And to Lee, Jerry, and Benny — my family in the Philippines —thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I would like to thank Mr. Thierry Dallas, who accommodated me for six months, as well as all of my former and present colleagues in hotel industry and friends.
And all of my particular employers thank you for trusting me.
To my ever-kind and clean neighbors — and most importantly, for the peaceful vibe. What a lucky girl I am :)
Special Thanks To:
Real Estate Agents: Mr. and Mrs. Miclet
Kitchen and Room Designer : Willy Griveau / Schmidt Nantes /
Interior Painting & Wall Repair: Romain Cossalter (Entreprise Cossalter)
Plumber: Jérémy Renaud
Maintenance Services: Optimax Energies / Marion Énergies
Mes deux Lits : Damien FAZILLEAU - Directeur Commercial Biosense
Paints from Ressource Nantes — thank you to the sales associate for your assistance
before / avant
after / aprés
While I am not particularly fond of coffee, I knew that 99% of the population in France enjoys it. This prompted me to purchase a coffee machine, and I was fortunate that my manager, Margot, gave me the tabletop from my workplace, which I now use. Due to its size, the machine is currently placed in the living room, as my kitchen is quite small.
I had the pleasure of working with Mr. Griveau Willy from Schmidt Nantes, who expertly designed my kitchen to match my preferences. Despite some last-minute changes, he accommodated all modifications and completed the work on schedule. Prior to that, I removed all the old tiles myself—a task that took an entire day to complete. It was one of the most physically demanding things I have ever done.
One of the most challenging parts of the renovation was the bathroom and the toilet. The apartment was built in the 1958s—just imagine a 1950s-style bathroom. We had to remove one door and construct a new door frame for the toilet.
My initial vision was to give the bathroom a warm, Marrakech-inspired touch for the winter months, so I ordered terracotta tiles. However, due to a supplier error, I received white tiles instead. I decided to keep the existing walls and repaint them using a special tile-specific wall paint. The process was particularly difficult for me, as I had very limited options.
Eventually, I asked JB to redo the bathroom, as I began to have doubts about my original plan. The space had to be reworked three times. I even contacted Willy for help, but I couldn’t proceed due to budget constraints.
In hindsight, my mistake was not tiling the bathroom and toilet areas from the beginning. I plan to revisit and redo them properly in the near future.
I visited this apartment in December 2023 and signed the compromis de vente in January 2024 . This was the original state of the entrance area, which has now been transformed into a functional dining space that also serves as a workstation. The original 1950s-style bathroom, which now also accommodates my washing machine.
We added two electrical outlets, relocated the telephone from the right side to the left, and purchased two identical stools from AMPM, along with one additional Japanese-style piece from the Cinna boutique in Nantes. I tried several times to reuse and repaint the original front door, but repairing it proved more costly than expected. In the end, I asked JB to replace it. It was a frustrating moment in the project.
This is my current kitchen setup—clean, minimalist, and highly organized. While everything has its place, I still feel the strong urge to reimagine and renovate the space.One regret: not buying a dishwasher instead of an oven I never use! Most of my meals are boiled, salads, or quick dishes that take five minutes to prepare. I'm seriously considering replacing the oven with a dishwasher in the future. I’ve never enjoyed washing dishes — it’s just not for me, and it wastes a lot of water too.
This is the room I’m currently using. When I bought this place, it only had one bedroom.But we managed to create a second one by slightly downsizing the living room — which still remains functional and spacious. Downsizing from a 20m² room to just 10m² was definitely a challenge — but it pushed me to get creative and intentional with my space — especially figuring out how to fit all the clothes I’d accumulated over the past decade, along with my shoes and winter wardrobe. In the end, I decided to let go of some clothes, shoes, and other things. I also transformed my cellar into a winter closet. I don’t enjoy cleaning, but I do love having a clean and simple space. So my bedroom is minimalist: two small wardrobes, a chest of drawers, and a large mirror that helps brighten the space all year round. I’ve always been a fan of Madura, Jalla, Kenzo , Deschamps and Yves Delorme when it comes to bed linens — they add that touch of comfort and elegance I love. I removed the two wall-mounted headlamps and opted for Philips lighting instead — mostly because it was always a debate over who had to turn off the lights. With the Philips system, everything is simpler: we can control the lights with a remote or from our phones, and even adjust the brightness to match the mood. Much more convenient — and no more light wars!
This is the fun part — I’ve never liked clutter in my life. Thanks to my mama and aunties who taught me to stay organized and clean. I managed to create space in the cellier for three drying racks, a spot to hang the ironing board and vacuum cleaner, and even a place to keep my dirty shoes out of sight! On top of that, I have three separate bins — one for plastic, one for household waste, and my favorite: one for compostables!