Architects: Atelier Wilda
Project: Minimalist and Bright Loft
Lead Architects: Willy Durieu
Location: Paris, France
Area: 45.0 m2
Project Year 2017
Photographs: David Foessel
Text by Atelier Wilda
The project consists of the renovation of the old painter Pierre Lemaire’s studio (1920-2007), in order to create a minimalist and bright loft in the heart of Paris. The entire existing interior design and the slab was demolished, only the load-bearing walls and the roof were preserved. It is originally a large volume in open space in which the client wants to create a housing necessarily involving the partitioning of spaces. However, neither the client nor the architect are willing to sacrifice the spatial quality of the workshop.
The project consists in revealing the entire volume by the demolition of the ceilings and household many holes in the internal partitions so that at any point of the housing can perceive the entire volume and thus retain the feeling of space. The light floods this beautiful volume with its large glass façade (10 linear meters) and generous roof windows. In order to amplify the sense of space the project presents little variation of color and materials.
White walls highlight the wooden elements (beech) that soften and warm the light. As it is a small area, the custom furniture has been designed to the smallest detail in order to optimize all possible storage spaces while adapting perfectly to the uses. In response to the client who wanted an extra room despite the small area, the architect proposed a very bright cabin perched at the top of the volume with a bird’s eye view of the living room. It has a workspace with storage and a fold-away desk and a large bed for two people.
