Inspiration

5 Easy Home Makeover Ideas From Nour Arida’s Light-Filled Paris Apartment

From how to hide a TV and instantly refresh a kitchen to the merits of carpeting the bedroom – yes, there are many – this is what we learnt from the model's French aerie
By Pratyush SarupPhotography by Ambroise Tézenas
5 Easy Home Makeover Ideas To Steal From Nour Aridas LightFilled Paris Apartment nour arida in balenciaga in her paris...
Nour Arida in Balenciaga, at her Paris apartment. The sculptural resin table by Louis Durot is framed by a vintage chandelier by Carlo Scarpa and pine Daumiller chairs by Gubi.Interior stylist: Sarah von Saurma; Fashion stylist: Gaultier Desandre Navarre; Hair and Makeup: Jade Berrocal

When Nour Arida settled on an apartment in Paris, it was it's Haussmanian bones – high ceilings, tall windows – that she fell for. Armed with a moodboard of home makeover ideas, she approached her friend, the Lebanese architect Carl Gerges, to transform everything else. Out went a dark entrance corridor and in came a bright, modern home for a young family.

For those of us who're looking to renovate their home but don't have an AD100 designer on speed dial, we've distilled this cheerful Paris home makeover into five easy to follow ideas that will suit every budget and every space.

1. Use Mirrors To Bring Light Into Dark Spaces

Before Gerges decided to dismantle the closed-off entry hall at Nour Arida’s Haussmanian apartment in Paris, it was a dark labyrinth of corridors that cut the front part of the house from the rest of the space. By removing the partitions, Gerges opened up the space, welcoming people into the open-style living and dining area. But it was what he did next that made the biggest impact.

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Formerly a dark corridor, the mirror-clad entrance foyer now conceals storage and a powder room. If you don't want to go all out, strategically hanging framed mirrors – the more ornate the better, the more the better – will also do the trick.

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He clad the walls of the newly freed-up foyer in mirror, from head to toe, even concealing the doors to the kitchen, store and powder room. The result? This approach not only optically increased the space, it also visually demarcated the foyer from the open-plan living area without using a wall or a screen. Plus, the light that filters through the tall windows on the street-facing elevation of the building is now reflected off the mirrors to make the living room even brighter.

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A close friend of Nour Arida and her husband George Badawi, Beirut-based AD100 designer Carl Gerges took inspiration from Arida's moodboard and the Haussmanian architecture of her Paris apartment to mastermind a head-to-toe renovation that included creating space for a brand new mirror-clad walk-in wardrobe.

©Ambroise Tézenas

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2. Renovate Your Kitchen in One Simple Step

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If you want to give your kitchen an instant makeover, switch up the doors of the existing cabinetry. And there are so many easy ways of doing that if you don't want to replace them: try spray-painting or vinyl covers.

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When it comes to applying home makeover ideas in the real world, a head-to-toe kitchen renovation can be costly, but if you are after a quick fix, look no further than the cabinetry. For Arida’s Paris kitchen, Gerges maintained the inherited spatial layout but gave the space an easy facelift with brand new, pale-pink cabinet doors in a high-gloss finish and a new travertine countertop. If these options are a stretch, simply replace old handles and knobs with something minimal (or get some made that match your existing cabinet) and add a trip of concealed LED lighting under the overhead cabinet.

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3. Decorate Blank Walls With Ornamental Trims

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At Nour's Haussmanian apartment in Paris, recreating a bygone era with wall trims made sense but you can copy the idea to create interest on any blank wall. All you need is MDF beading (some come in DIY kits), a nail gun (or a hammer) and a laser level. Plus someone good at measurements.

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For Nour Arida’s Paris apartment, Gerges didn’t have to look far for inspiration: Its Haussmanian-era building provided the perfect springboard to bring back some lost grace. Working with artisans specialising in French plasterwork, he reinstated delicate ceiling roses and wall panelling (trims) to lend the house character. You don’t need a period property to deploy the same design ideas: Adding a dado rail or wall panels is an easy way to make a feature out of blank walls. You can either buy wainscoting kits or have MDF trims cut to size as per your preferred design and have them installed. Finish with primer and paint to instantly add old world charm to any property. This is also an easy, renter-friendly design idea which requires minimal repair before handing the property back.

4. How To Hide the TV in the Living Room

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On the wall with the pink onyx fireplace, Gerges designed a boxing, cleverly festooned with trims and a decorative mirror frame, all painted to match the wall in a manner common to Haussmanian homes. Look closely and you will notice a vertical line in the mirror denoting two panels that open (sliding into the boxing) to reveal the TV.

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Nothing distracts more from an elegant living room than a TV screen staring at you. Luckily, there are many ways you can conceal it in plain sight. Option 1, the easy way: Invest in a smart TV that has an art mode. That way it can display your favourite photos or licensed art on the screen when on standby mode. Next, plan a gallery wall around it and so that blends with the rest of your art. Want to go a step further? Add a decorative trim around it to hide the bezel.

Option 2, take a leaf from Arida's Paris apartment and have an MDF boxing built on the wall; install the screen into the recess. Finish up with a sliding mirror (or mirror-clad shutters that open) in front.

5. Transform Your Bedroom Into a Hotel Suite With Carpet

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For her Paris bedroom, Nour wanted to make a childhood dream of a carpeted floor come true. Stretched from the floor to the bed frame and headboard, this ivory-hued carpet delivers a spa-like ambiance; indulgent, cocooning and serene all at once.

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Last but not least is a controversial home makeover idea for the bedroom: carpeting. No, we are not revisiting bedrooms from the 70s: Instead of pattern heavy designs in dark colours, put your faith in earthy hues like Arida did. It might not be easy to maintain – no shoes are allowed in the model’s Paris bedroom – so, apply a stain guard as soon as the carpet is installed to ensure problem-free cleaning. Why we love this trend? Not only will the feeling of a deep-pile carpet under your feet instantly recreate that luxe hotel vibe, it is great for sound insulation too. The light colour keeps things calm and fresh.

More home makeover ideas from the AD archive: