When a family of five in Geneva was looking to turn two large basement rooms into four, including a bedroom for their au pair, they called on architect Aurélie Monet Kasisi who used plywood partitions to add a lot of functionality.

Before the remodel, one of the rooms served as a home office by day and a bedroom for the family’s au pair by night. Monet Kasisi designed a wall of pine ply to separate the two spaces: on one side it serves as shelving for mom Sophie’s extensive book and bric-a-brac collection.

The wall contains a small door and on the reverse side, a fold-down secretary-desk, both hidden by the perfectly-continuous grain of the plywood. A second wall in the au pair’s room hold’s floor to ceiling storage, including a closet.

The second large pre-remodel room served as TV room and kids’ playroom. Again, Monet Kasisi created another wooden partition wall to house a large CD collection, as well as a projector and audio system to create a home cinema. There’s also a bed made of recycled pallets that opens for guests.

On the other side of the TV room through a very small plywood door (sized for small children) is the private playroom for the family’s three, young children. One small porthole in the wall provides opportunity for Sophie to keep an eye on the kids.

With leftover wood, Monet Kasisi created some small pieces of furniture for the rooms: nightstands, storage boxes and a podium for the kids.

[*Carpenters for the project: Atelier Fabien Pont]