Architect Luc Pfister transformed his 48-square-meter apartment in Strasbourg into a storage-rich home using IKEA components and custom finishes. The €35,000 renovation turned a space originally prepared for rental into a bespoke living area that balances practicality with personal meaning.
Apartment Layout and Initial Vision
When Pfister acquired the first-floor unit in 2019, the condition fell short of his expectations. “I saw that there were no structural partitions, the ceilings were high, and the light was great, and I said, I can make something out of this.” The apartment shares its routines with his partner Valentin, a flight attendant whose schedule differs significantly from his own. That contrast shaped the design priorities from the start.
“The architecture is a backdrop – I wouldn’t want to not put in artwork I love just because the colours clash – it has to allow for that flexibility,” Pfister said. He applied this philosophy across the renovation, organizing the layout with friends and a builder to maximize natural light while keeping storage integrated into the walls rather than standing apart.
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Entry, Living Space, and Flexible Storage
A floor-to-ceiling mirror at the entrance reflects light into the first-floor space while visually expanding the area. Opposite the door, built-in shelving holds shoes and jackets within easy reach. A pigeon-hole unit stores gloves and a scarf for bike commuting, with Pfister’s old bicycle mounted above. The electric box disappears within an art wall featuring photographs and a painting from an unknown New Zealand artist.
“I look for things that I like, it doesn’t really matter if they’re worth anything, or not.” A small terrazzo-tiled platform covers underfloor plumbing, a feature Pfister calls his “catwalk.” Adjustable hardware-store shelving dominates the living area, providing an economical and reconfigurable display space for sentimental objects. A US license plate marks where the couple once lived abroad, alongside a childhood photograph of Pfister’s sister. The television stays deliberately modest, avoiding competition with displayed items. Double-glazed windows and sheer curtains balance privacy with natural light near the nearby desk.
Kitchen Integration and Extended Storage
“I love to design integrated fixtures, integrated kitchens, and integrated wardrobes into my projects, but often that’s where the budget lacks.” This practical constraint led Pfister to IKEA for a large black kitchen unit. “I often explain to my clients that I, as an architect, have an IKEA kitchen at home and that we just used a carpenter for finishes to feel bespoke.” The terrazzo splashback exemplifies this approach. His family’s 1990s IKEA table found new purpose in the dining area, topped with a vase from his grandmother and flowers marking the couple’s 15th anniversary. A string shelf nearby displays a discontinued Habitat lamp in pink, adding lightness near the darker kitchen tones.
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The black unit continues beyond the kitchen into the bedroom as a statement wardrobe. Long-term items sit high up, daily essentials stay within reach, and each clothing category, including belts, has a designated spot. The same unit extends outside the sliding bedroom door as a quiet cupboard for Valentin, positioned near the entrance and bathroom. This placement lets him prepare for flights and gather luggage without disturbing Pfister.
Bedroom, Bathroom, and Personal Touches
Above the Fritz Hansen bed, Pfister built a Mikado-style shelf himself. Below the frame, linen and towels store within reach, while a built-in headboard holds rucksacks and displays a signed cone gifted for his 18th birthday. The bathroom presented a challenge: a narrow space without natural light. He resolved this with an internal frosted window that filters sunlight from the bedroom, with a blind available for additional privacy. A curved natural timber counter conceals the washing machine and laundry basket, and a leftover terrazzo tile serves as a display tray on the counter.
Another choice driven by sentiment was the bathtub. Despite its generous footprint and rare use on Luc’s behalf, it was kept for Valentin, who likes to decompress there after long trips. As Luc says, “downsizing wasn’t about going minimal, it’s keeping things that have a story, and a memory.”
