Studio apartment in Paris by Anne Rolland Architecte has a hidden converted slurry pit
Anne Rolland Architecte has transformed a ground-floor space in a 17th-century Parisian townhouse into a studio apartment with a secret underground room.
![One-room flat in Paris by Anne Rolland Architecte](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/One-room-flat-in-Paris-by-Anne-Rolland-Architecte_dezeen_936_1.jpg)
Located in one of the oldest parts of the city, the flat was once used to connect a larger apartment to the yard outside.
Architect Anne Rolland's Paris-based studio undertook the property in 2015, aiming to create a completely open-plan apartment. Prior to this, it had been abandoned for 70 years.
![One-room flat in Paris by Anne Rolland Architecte](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/One-room-flat-in-Paris-by-Anne-Rolland-Architecte_dezeen_936_2.jpg)
"We started the transformation by removing partitioning walls in order to create a large space feeling," said Rolland. "We then divided it into two using multi purpose closet furniture."
The birch-plywood storage system provides a level of privacy – separating the sleeping quarters in a raised corner of the apartment from the kitchen and living space on the other side.
![One-room flat in Paris by Anne Rolland Architecte](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/One-room-flat-in-Paris-by-Anne-Rolland-Architecte_dezeen_936_4.jpg)
"The furniture system incorporates a desk, a dresser, drawers and cupboards," said Rolland. "I used Scandinavian-style birch plywood as it is a resistant material and doesn't require finishing."
The only completely private area of the property is toilet and shower room to the left of the bedroom.
![One-room flat in Paris by Anne Rolland Architecte](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/One-room-flat-in-Paris-by-Anne-Rolland-Architecte_dezeen_936_5.jpg)
During the renovation work, plaster walls were removed to reveal original limestone masonry. Graphic-patterned tiles were added in reference to old-style Parisian bars.
An underground space that once functioned as slurry pit – a dam used by farmers to gather animal waste together with other unusable matter – was found and was restored to create an extra room.
![One-room flat in Paris by Anne Rolland Architecte](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/One-room-flat-in-Paris-by-Anne-Rolland-Architecte_dezeen_936_6.jpg)
This is accessed via a mechanical trapdoor and set of wooden stairs. A circular glass wall installed in the floor of the flat provides the space with daylight.
"The man who lives in the apartment plays guitar, so the downstairs room will be a music box and home cinema," Rolland told Dezeen. "That way he can make music and watch films without annoying his neighbours."
![One-room flat in Paris by Anne Rolland Architecte](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/One-room-flat-in-Paris-by-Anne-Rolland-Architecte_dezeen_936_3.jpg)
Other interesting Parisian apartment renovations include a sculptural wooden bathroom inside Haussmann-era apartment, and a flat with multicoloured flooring and space-saving stairs.
Photography is by Jérôme Fleurier.
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