She is a costume designer for films. Together they bought
their loft as a “concrete block”, part of a housing project of similar
apartments: The industrial pedigree is owed to the building site on which a
sawmill initially stood. With the help of architect Isabelle Rouyer who used Le
Corbusier’s “Modulor” to calculate the proportions, the owners designed the
interior from scratch.
The main idea was to place ‘a block within the block’: The
kitchen at the centre of the apartment -accessible from different angles- is
topped by the bathroom on the superior level. This arrangement puts the utility
spaces at the core of the living areas. And cuts the long (16m) and slightly
narrow (6m wide) space in half. Naturally the height is where the loft makes
its statement: 5 metres, allowing for a solid mezzanine construction upstairs
which houses the bedrooms.
The downstairs living area is open exclusively on the side
of the neat (60sq m) garden. To invite as much natural light in as possible,
the “team” designed windows wall to wall using the full height and achieving a
whopping 30 sq metres of glass panelling. Adding air to light, in the summer,
the windows at the lower level slide open to their full 6 metre length.
Upstairs the bedrooms are also equipped with large glass
panels which beckon the light to creep into every corner of the home. In fact,
the -finished in petrol green moquette- en suite bathroom receives natural
light on both ends. It opens on to the street at the front of the house but
also features an aquarium style glass opening over the tub, which candidly
peaks into the master bedroom, letting the view travel over the mezzanine and
into the garden.
The sleeping space includes a children’s room, complete with
glass panels, which almost hangs over the living room. The whole mezzanine is
built on massive black steel beams, which were welded by traditional craftsmen
and assembled largely on site. The cement staircase which leads to the
mezzanine is painted in the same “railroad track” colour.
Although most of the materials used in the loft are brand
new (except for the doors and visible brickwork on the ground floor) they
convey a “lived in” feel, in tune with the lofty aura. The furniture discreetly
points to a ‘French countryside meets Manhattan’ style. The general look and
feel is a no frills mix and match of designer classics, second hand discoveries
and travel mementos like the handmade ceramic crockery – from a trip to
Morocco. It takes a French loft –built in concrete and steel- to flaunt a
bohemian soul. As one of the owners remarks: “We wanted to feel cosy even in an
open space”.
