Site Specific: Jean Moulin Atelier-House

Atelier NEA - Paris, 2020

NEA Jean Moulin Atelier-House is a refurbishment of a 80m², three-storey artist’s atelier located in the 14th district of Paris and located in a hidden alleyway. The studio was built in the late 40's and retained a few key features from its previous lives; a very large steel window fixture overlooking a private terrace, an old maple tree, a double-height space filled with natural light and a skylight.

The studio-house was adapted for a couple, an artist from Oregon, USA and her husband working in the movie industry. Having lived in Paris for nearly a decade, they commissioned us to create an intimate space that reflects their personality and way of life - a place where domesticity and the making of art could come together.

The project preserved the studio’s original typology while enhancing the layout by re-arranging the two original staircase positions. They have been moved from the back of the house to the front, towards the mezzanine and the double-height space creating a permanent dialogue with the outdoors.

Private and shared needs are separated yet they remain both flexible and adaptable. The open plan ground floor where the kitchen is located supports living without internal hierarchy. It can be used for multiple uses - as an artist studio area or as a living room.

As one climbs up the house, the floors become more private. The two upper floors accommodate two nooks, a bathroom, a laundry space, a walk-in closet and a study area. The scale varies throughout the house. On the mezzanine floor the nook enjoys a lower ceiling for more privacy and a closer relation to the human body. This nook, combined with a walk-in closet, is dedicated to sleep and relaxation. It can be enclosed by 3 extra large sliding doors made of solid sycamore wood and natural jute. An additional nook for guests is located on the upper floor. Both nooks are the only areas that can be considered private, distancing from the conventional room in a house.

All areas in the house, including the bathroom and the walk-in closet overlook the outdoors. The porous materials; jute for the custom-made sliding doors and perforated steel sheet in the walk-in closet, protect privacy while maintaining the relation with the outside. A large interior window that overlooks the entire house was created on the second floor to gain additional natural light.

The refurbishment project adopted sycamore maple wood as its principal material combined with steel, natural jute, waxed concrete and Carrara marble. The focus on adaptability and functionality led to the inclusion of almost two dozen custom-made sycamore maple and steel built-in units - a way to reduce to a minimum the need for extra furniture in this very compact residence. The house becomes personified by the owners thanks to the minimal intervention translated into the open plan layout and the selection of raw and light materials.

Notes

Many thanks to Nathalie Eldan of Atelier NEA for sharing her work with us.

Photographs © Lorenzo Zandri.

Posted 3rd April 2021.