Accreditation : Xavier LOUP STUDIO
Photographer : Pierre Jean Verger
Art director : Xavier LOUP STUDIO
Landscape : Xavier LOUP STUDIO
Furniture manufacturer : RODA, Royal BOTANIA
Lighting : IGUZZINI
Image & Sound : BOSE
Destination : TERRACE
Location : PARIS (EUROPE)
Year : 2014
Land Space : 120 m2
Notable Features:
This space is on the top of the owners’ flat, the only possible access is through the apartment itself.
The apartment does not have a view on the roof, as a result this open-air space it’s not spontaneously attractive. Some of the apartments building communal technical features (mostly chimneys) are on the roof and cannot be removed.
The requirement was to turn this outdoor area into an appealing terrace making it a full-fledged living space.
We did that by structuring or framing views, hiding some of the chimneys and partitioning and enclosing the space to make it readable, on the model of an indoor living space. Upon arriving on the terrasse guests are intuitively guided by the views we created, not lost or intimidated by the 360 degrees view.
In big cities, such as Paris, outdoor space is a luxury and rehabilitation is expensive. The project really needed to make sure that the rooftop would become a true, comfortable living space extension of the downstairs apartment. To achieve this, we created not one but three living spaces: a cozy lounge with a fireplace, a lunch or dinner area with an outdoor kitchen and a scenic solarium with an Eiffel Tower view.
There were many regulatory, organizational and technical challenges to deal with – busy central Paris, 15th floor, open air – on top of the creative challenge.
To give rhythm and structure to the space we used a geometric composition of large pots, wood panels dividers in order to provide framed views. The structural elements needed to be simple and clear to sublimate the living area features and to be timeless, and this was perfectly coherent with the owner’s personality. A Mediterranean style terrace would not have been best suited with his tastes.
Outdoors with indoors comfort is what we provided, the clients were both surprised and very pleased with the outcome. The outside space was actually operating as an independent living space, the lounge with its own gas fireplace, the kitchen was functional (with water, fridge, storage, teppanyaki), once on the terrace there is no need to go down, that would have defied the purpose of the project.
