toledano + architects adds curved wooden ‘ribbon’ to haussmanian apartment in paris

toledano + architects has renovated a typical haussmanian apartment in paris for a young family of three, adding a curved wooden ‘ribbon’ that doubles as an inhabitable wall and sculptural installation. this lightweight spatial element allows for the preservation of all existing historical elements that confer a strong character to the house, while unveiling new uses and a new appreciation of space. the wooden wall is lower in height than the ceilings in order to keep the signs of the former historical layout plan. pictures by salem mostefaoui

‘preserving the layers of history while giving a strong contemporary identity,’ states toledano + architects, ‘that was the challenge.’ the apartment features typical haussmanian elements, including its moldings, fish bone parquet, and a linear long balcony. circulating through the bearing molded walls, the wooden curved ‘ribbon’ acts as an inhabitable wall /sculpture that dissimulates the entrance to the rooms and bathrooms, creates niches for storage or for the kitchen. along with the carpenter, the architects created walls entirely made of wood, from the rails inside, cut with a lasercut to the curved surfaces manufactured with molds. all the walls were pre-fabricated and assembled at the carpenter’s workshop and then reassembled onsite within a day.

‘the layout plan became quite obvious once I released myself from the constraints imposed by the original partition walls that we decided to demolish entirely and moldings on the ceilings that would be preserved no matter the shape of the new partition wooden walls,’ explains the paris-based architect. on one side, the master suite, with the bedroom, open bathroom and dressing room, and on the other side the children area, with a bedroom and a bathroom. the two parts of the ribbon define these two areas of the apartment.

a narrow corridor separates the entrance from the wide and spacious common spaces : the living room and the kitchen and dining room. the materials along the wood ribbon are bendable wood, left very natural and in the niches, brass and travertin. in the master bathroom, the luxurious grey onyx mixes up with the young and relaxed feeling given by the plywood, whereas in the children area, the materials are bright and playful with white and orange resin. the ceiling is made of alveolar polycarbonate to provide some natural light and impart a fun twist to all the areas behind the wooden walls except for the bedrooms.