See the “Soaring Ceilings” in This Historic Studio Apartment in Lyon
Cullen Ormond
·6 min read
"I feel like I’m the only American in France who doesn’t want to fill my house with antiques! I love modern furniture that is functional and comfortable," Caroline Conner writes of the furnishings in her studio apartment in Lyon, France. Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
The content creator, Lyon Wine Tasting owner, and wine and travel entrepreneur has collected art and furniture for over two decades. Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
"I love sumptuous fabrics and art-filled walls," she continues. "My style comes very naturally to me. I see something that I like, and I’ll get it." Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
Conner has become a collector and has shipped items across the globe to furnish the space. "Good quality investment furniture lasts for decades, and it is not necessarily cheaper to replace after a move. Art is irreplaceable." Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
Conner renovated the entire studio apartment in 2019 with the help of interior architect Jeanne Camoin. The Murano Glass Chandelier is from Cristalleria Murano, which she got at "cost price" from a light dealer friend. Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
Finding a bookshelf between the two windows was a design win for Conner. "I found it from AMPM on La Redoute, and it really is a treasure. It looks like it was custom-made for the space, but it was not," she explains. Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
Conner learned that she couldn't change the street-facing exterior during the renovation. So, she opted not to have any shutters at all. Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
"Everything is unique about this home! It is fully open plan, with really no walls except for the bathroom," Conner describes. Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
"The kitchen takes up more space than anyone normal would possibly want but as that’s where I spend most of my time, I couldn’t be happier with it," she continues. Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
Conner photographing a gorgeous spread in the even more stunning kitchen. Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
Conner's favorite part of the renovation was reimagining the upstairs loft area. Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
"I took a lot of enjoyment in choosing colors and finishes and really made all design decisions based on what I wanted rather than from the perspective of reselling the apartment," Conner shares. Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
"I do not regret that choice, this is my dream studio even if it has quirks that wouldn’t make sense to anyone else," she continues. Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
"Before the bedroom was set against the back wall, it was dark, and I had to navigate the large wooden beams to move around," Conner remembers. "I smacked my head a lot!" Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
"It was my architect’s idea to create an L shape so the bedroom could be next to a window and in between beams instead of across them. This was really brilliant," she continues. Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
Conner's nightstand is from Maisons du Monde and the bed is from La Redoute. Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
"Before the renovation, there was little built-in storage and lots of empty space. After the renovation, I had a much more functional place to live with plenty of storage," Conner notes. Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
Conner suggests decluttering your home twice a year. "When everything is open plan like this, clutter is impossible to hide," she shares. "Even with my rather maximalist taste, the beauty of this space is its openness, and too much stuff will weigh it down." Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
The bathroom (especially the clawfoot bathtub is Conner's favorite part of the home. "I spent many a pandemic evening with candles, bubble bath, a book, and a glass of wine in that bathtub," Amy reminisces. Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
"There is something so cozy about that bathroom, really the only enclosed space in the flat," she continues. Credit: Marine PiolatCredit: Marine Piolat
Six years ago, Caroline Conner, wine and travel entrepreneur, content creator, and owner of Lyon Wine Tastings, started looking for an apartment in Lyon, France, to buy. At the time, her French wasn’t the best, and connecting with real estate agents was hard.
That is, until Conner met an agent who knew how seriously she wanted to find a home. “I was the second person that he showed this flat to, and I made an offer the next day,” she writes. “My studio is a ‘canut,’ a type of apartment built in the early 1800s for Lyon’s famed silk weavers. The soaring ceilings accommodated the enormous wooden silk looms, with the family living and working in the loft.”
The sky-high ceilings, which are adorned with “massive wooden beams,” are what Conner fell in love with immediately. She also appreciates the open-concept floor plan of the studio. (Her 3-year-old Cockapoo, Buffy, likely also loves running around the airy layout.) She bought the home for $318,000.
In 2019, Conner worked with interior architect Jeanne Camoin to renovate the entire space to add more storage and cultivate a functional living area. The project took six months, but it was well worth it — especially for her safety.
“Before the bedroom was set against the back wall, it was dark, and I had to navigate the large wooden beams to move around,” Conner shares. “I smacked my head a lot! It was my architect’s idea to create an L shape so the bedroom could be next to a window and in between beams instead of across them. This was really brilliant.”
When Conner isn’t spending time in her gorgeous apartment or hosting “gourmet girls’ trips” around France, she’s likely enjoying Lyon’s fourth arrondissement (where her studio apartment is located).
“We are on top of a big hill; it takes 15 minutes of stairs to get up here from the center of town,” she explains. “Today, the neighborhood is famous for its large and beautiful farmers market, which runs every day except for Monday, as well as its village vibe.”
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