The loft of the rising sun

I'd like to present you a recently finished project that I found very interesting and special to work on. This project was done in the north east side of Paris for a client who has naturally become a friend over the years and projects she has commissioned me with. A loft with two levels, entirely custom-made from architecture to furniture, for a very independent, cultured and modern lady.

The ground floor is open and multifunctional. A space where to relax, cook and have friends around. It's a living space. The bed, bathroom and work space are on the top level. The whole loft is very luminous but only for a short while after sun rise, in spite of the 430cm in ceiling height. On each level of this loft the client and I had a different kind of problem to deal with.

 

The ground floor

  • How to dress up the 430cm heigh window facade so as to keep maximum light coming in without passers by seeing through?
  • How to respect my client's wish to have felt panels while her actual need for sun light guided me towards a more translucent fabric?
  • How to allow uncovering the whole bay window in spite of the fact that it actually takes up the whole facade with no walls on either sides where to stock away the textile panels?
1 - sliding panels made of a flannel fabric with my "cloud of lines" design
2 - sliding panels made of a flannel fabric with my "cloud of lines" design
3 - sliding panels made of a flannel fabric with my "cloud of lines" design
4 - sliding panels made of a flannel fabric with my "cloud of lines" design
5 - sliding panels made of a flannel fabric with my "cloud of lines" design

Sliding panels made of a flannel fabric. This fabric is fine and translucent letting in natural light while having a woolly touch and look, reminding my client of the felt panels that she initially wished to have for her windows.

Panels sliding inside a curved track allowing them to be stocked on the perpendicular wall and thus uncovering entirely the bay window.

6 - sliding panels made of a flannel fabric with my "cloud of lines" design
7 - curved track

Panels sliding inside a curved track allowing them to be stocked on the perpendicular wall and thus uncovering entirely the bay window.

8 - design "cloud of lines" by Lily Latifi
9 - sliding panels made of a flannel fabric with my "cloud of lines" design
10 - sliding panels made of a flannel fabric with my "cloud of lines" design

In order to enhance the sun light, I completely revised my "cloud of lines" design, enlargening it to proportions yet unexplored. The design needed to be adapted in size to match the huge dimensions of the bay window (L360 x H430cm).

11 - sliding panels made of a flannel fabric with my "cloud of lines" design
12 - sliding panels made of a flannel fabric with my "cloud of lines" design

From the Japanese garden on the other side of the bay window, plants freely project their shadows that end up superimposed on my geometrical design. Together they create a unique scenery, ever changing along with the natural light and the vegetation in the garden.

The bedroom and work space 

13 - sliding panels made of a flannel fabric with my "milky way" design
14 - sliding panels made of a flannel fabric with my "milky way" design

The architect of the loft has optimized the overall space of the loft creating connections that reminds  us of a ship deck. The bedroom is thus on the "ship deck" and a small work space mingled with it. My client wished me to separate these two spaces especially for night time when she is in bed.

15 - sliding panels made of a flannel fabric with my "milky way" design
16 - sliding panels made of a flannel fabric with my "milky way" design
17 - sliding panels made of a flannel fabric with my "milky way" design

Photo Credits : Bernard Taboureau

 

Sliding panels made of a flannel fabric. This fabric is fine and translucent letting in natural light while not being seen through. My "milky way" design is projected on surrounding walls and ceiling thanks to the reading lights on either sides of the panels. "Milky way" is also superimposed on the bay window panels and their "cloud of lines" design. My client sometimes has the feeling of sleeping under a tent in the desert, she says!

For this project I have used:

"What's unique in Lily's work is that she knows how to create the perfect harmony between space, light and life. This is why I live better with her creations rather than without. I appreciate the fact that she works with conviction and makes very clear decisions. She is inspired by one's space and one's personality, takes the best of both, enhances them through volume and natural light. It's fascinating how she tries to anticipate what may come next and plays around with it.
This is how and why she makes visible the invisible."

I'd like to thank my client for her kind words as well as her continuous trust.

Liens

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