Houseboat living in Paris - in pictures

Close to the Place de la Bastille and a stroll from the Seine, Valérie Mazerat lives in an enviable spot in central Paris. → Photograph: Richard Powers

The Dutch barge that is home to the architect/designer and her young daughter, Margot, sits on a quiet stretch of canal called the Bassin de l’Arsenal. The neighbours are friendly and Mazerat’s office is moored a short stroll away. → Photograph: Richard Powers

The previous owner of the barge, which dates from the early 1900s, fitted a 1920s train carriage to the top. This remains today and, after a refurbishment, houses a snug galley kitchen, dining and living space, two bedroom cabins and a bathroom. → Photograph: Richard Powers

The interior has an industrial feel – a nod to the vessel’s working past – with charcoal grey walls, custom-made steel furniture and unfussy lighting. In Mazerat's bedroom, a 50s Danish desk sits beneath a photograph by Serge Anton. → Photograph: Richard Powers

Mazerat has tempered this masculine feel with a comfy domestic vibe: rugs and throws in earthy colours, picked up in Paris stores Merci and Caravane; and mid-century modern furniture, including several vintage 3103 chairs by Arne Jacobsen. For similar nautical lighting, try Davey Lighting. → Photograph: Richard Powers

The bedrooms are painted dark grey, with moody shafts of light from portholes. Margot's room has a sheepskin rug and pink bedlinen. → Photograph: Richard Powers

Living in such a humble space has its advantages, Mazerat says. “It makes you think twice about everything you consume. And it takes you away from the everyday. There’s a sense of freedom you don’t get living ashore.” → Photograph: Richard Powers

And for those hot, hot summer nights for which Paris is famed, there’s a sun deck out front, a canopy stretched over daybeds where the pair sometimes sleep, lulled by the water and the hum of the city above.

New Paris Style by Danielle Miller and Richard Powers is published by Thames & Hudson at £24.95 Photograph: Richard Powers