BARBOTINE
In the northern part of Paris, nestled between two four- and five-story apartment
buildings and backing up to a school courtyard, stands a house full of history.
Its story begins at the end of the 19th century, with the construction of a single-story ground-floor living space and garage, upon which was built a reception floor, adorned with woodwork and moldings typical of the neoclassical style of the time. In the 1930s, a carpentry workshop was added at the rear of the house, naturally lit by a large skylight.
Several families lived in the house over the years, each adding their layer of history and work. Today, the dwelling bears the marks of these layers, each with its own character, responding to specific needs, sometimes forgotten, evolving over the years.
The new tenants had a very specific request: to install a ceramic studio with a street-facing gable and maintain a generous living room for the family. The project is thus about reconnecting with its history of the site, by reintroducing a craft activity at its core.
The goal was twofold: to establish a clear separation between the studio and the living space, distinguishing their flows, while ensuring a seamless transition for the ceramicist between their workspace and living environment.
The first steps of the project focused on defining the appropriate size for the studio, its importance relative to the living area, and the suitable degree of privacy between the two spaces. The decision was quickly made to position the living space at the rear, beneath the existing skylight, enhancing the heritage without altering its qualities.
The studio’s large street-facing window maximizes sunlight and visibility from the public space, with dedicated access through the former garage door. Meanwhile, the house retains its entrance through the vestibule, with a repositioned door realigned to the new axis created between the main staircase and the studio.
Like the "barbotine" used in pottery – a mixture of clay and water essential for joining pieces – the new studio harmoniously blends with the house's existing structural fabric, shaping an organic curved form clad in lime plaster. In response to the raw materials worked and shaped by hand in the studio, the lime render was applied using a technique of troweling and smoothing to give it a more organic texture, contrasting with the surrounding white walls.
The old brick wall of the garage, now split in two on either side of the studio, forms the front boundary with a workbench placed under the window, while at the rear, a technical area includes a water outlet, the house's boiler, and a toilet room. A full-height glass door, with woodwork that echoes the moldings of the upper floor, faces the main staircase. The use of frosted glass allows light into the studio and corridor while maintaining the privacy of the occupants.
On the dwelling side, the guiding principle of the architectural intervention was clear: to highlight the skylight while relegating all service spaces to the periphery of the living room. This is achieved by exploiting the vacant space beneath the stairs: a first technical band is tucked under the main staircase leading to the upstairs sleeping areas, while a second, dedicated to the kitchen, nestles beneath the stairs leading to the office. The curve of the studio thus occupies all available space, its texture animated by the sun's path throughout the day.
With a strong appreciation for vintage furniture, the tenants preferred a minimalist and refined architectural intervention to enhance the volumes’ unique attributes, playing with light and texture under the central skylight. The house is a reflection of its occupants, scattered with handcrafted ceramics – handles, sconces, decorations – and furniture full of history, a true haven of peace and timelessness. True to its sustainable approach, the project places great emphasis on the reuse of materials: the solid wood flooring was refurbished, the joint ropes cleaned and reinstalled, the kitchen cabinets dismantled and reused, and the corridor tiles repurposed in the technical space of the entrance.
Recut, repurposed, and extended, the lower landing of the staircase leading to the office becomes a wall panel and the backrest of the dining room bench. To harmonize the dining space, custom wallpaper dresses the seating and chairs found by the tenants. Across from the table, the kitchen island and cabinet are clad in natural oak veneer. Nestled under the stairs, the ceramicist's original pieces are visible through the glass doors of the cabinet.
Upstairs, the intervention enhances what was already there: the flooring is sanded and oiled, and the paint refreshed. In the bedroom, the carpentry curves at the top to preserve the ceiling moldings, echoing the design of the existing ornaments. Bathed in natural light until late afternoon, the winter living room invites serenity, taking full advantage of the authentic charm of the space.
