A 375-Square-Foot French Flat Is a Sumptuously Sunny Small Space (With Amazing Views)

Name:JP Floru
Location:Nice, France
Type of home:Apartment
Size:376 square feet
Years lived in:10 months, owned

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there:With England covered with clouds for at least five months of the year, I often hanker for sun. So I bought this small unloved flat for very little money. It was for sale for more than two years and when I arrived it was decrepit—it was open to the outside through the broken glass panes! But the ceilings are 11-feet high, and the walk to the beach is just six minutes… I walked in and bought it straight away.

After ten months of renovations (both professionally, and by way of DIY), this is the end result. I especially chose a quite grand Mediterranean style—harking back to the glamorous 1920s, when the building was built, and with references to the villas, palaces, and grand hotels that still litter the Riviera today.

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less:Small French Riviera pied-a-terre

你最喜欢的房间是什么,为什么?The living room: it has a ceiling that’s 11-feet high, and two huge windows with juliet balconies, giving it a far grander appearance than the square footage would suggest. Because of its height and its length it almost looks like a Venetianpiano nobile.

I chose antique furniture from local antique and thrift shops in the Italian baroque style. There is a sofa bed in this room and when you wake up there is light streaming through the partially closed roller blinds, dappling the room in a glorious Riviera style mint green light.

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home?I bought a small ornate 19th century gilded mirror in a thrift shop for 72 Euros—an absolute steal—ugly new mass-produced are more expensive.

Any advice for creating a home you love?Buy a wreck! Don’t pay extra for someone else’s decorative style! Count every penny: buy at thrift shops and secondhand outlets. A glorious house interior does not need to be expensive. Two or three coats of white paint can transform any room.

This submission’s responses have been edited for length and clarity.

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