Mur-Murs : Inside Mada’s home, in Paris’ 15ᵗʰ arrondissement

Some stories begin with an address. Others with a chance encounter. Mada’s story with her apartment began with light. A glow that moves through the rooms, skims across the wooden floors, and reveals the apartment’s volumes as the day unfolds. A warm, enveloping atmosphere she fell in love with long before she could imagine the transformation to come.

Having lived in Paris’s 15^th arrondissement for fifteen years, Mada has found here far more than a place to live. An anchor. A way of experiencing Paris that feels entirely her own.

Let the sunshine in

The first time she visited the apartment, Mada immediately saw its potential.

Among the features that caught her eye was a glass partition. At the time, it was white, fully glazed, and quite different from the one that now shapes the space. Yet she could already sense everything it might bring to the apartment.

Light is essential to Mada. She is drawn to interiors that feel alive, to transparency, to openings that allow both sunlight and sightlines to move freely from one room to the next.

She has always been fascinated by glass partitions and stained glass windows. Architectural elements capable of transforming a room without ever fully closing it off.

It is no coincidence, then, that glass partitions became the common thread running through the project.

Today, those in the living room and kitchen are the features that define the apartment most clearly, bringing rhythm, depth and perspective to the entire space.

Fifteen springs in the 15^th arrondissement

Over the years, Mada has built her routines in the 15^th arrondissement, along with her favourite routes and cherished local spots. For a long time, her daily life revolved around the La Motte-Picquet Grenelle neighbourhood, an area she knows particularly well.

“It's my headquarters.”

She loves the peaceful atmosphere of southern Paris, the proximity of the Seine, and that rare sense of openness that can be hard to find elsewhere in the capital. A keen road cyclist, she also appreciates how easily the neighbourhood allows her to escape the city whenever she feels like setting off for a few hours.

And yet, today, she is discovering a different side of the 15^th. Her apartment is located in Saint-Lambert, a neighbourhood she is still getting to know and enjoys exploring day by day.

After all this time, Paris still has a few surprises in store for her.

Letting go

Although Mada quickly fell for the apartment, the start of the renovation came with a fair amount of anxiety. She readily describes herself as someone who tends to worry.

Like many homeowners embarking on a renovation, she imagined every possible scenario: a project brought to a halt, contractors changing midway through the works, a hidden defect discovered behind a wall, or delays stretching endlessly ahead.

The first few weeks were therefore filled with questions.

But the project moved forward. Each stage unfolded as planned, the teams remained the same, and every commitment was honoured.

Her project and experience manager was there at every step. Communication was regular, answers were clear, and decisions were carefully explained.

After a few weeks, her concerns gradually began to fade. Two months into the renovation, Mada realised she could finally let go.

“I felt supported from the very beginning.”

A sense of trust that allowed her to fully enjoy watching her future home take shape.

An entryway in earthy tones

Mada had a clear idea of what she loved. She wanted to be surrounded by beauty. To live in an interior that felt elegant yet sincere. A place capable of reflecting her personality without ever becoming purely decorative.

Throughout the project, the architect succeeded in highlighting her tastes while introducing ideas she might never have considered on her own.

The entryway is a perfect example. Maison Kyka suggested introducing a bold terracotta hue, a daring proposal that required a certain leap of faith.

The result exceeded her expectations, and today this colour has become one of her favourite elements of the project. As is often the case, the most beautiful surprises are the ones we never saw coming.

‍