A new chapter

This vast, light-filled setting used to house the archives of Éditions Larousse. The former artistic director at Sonia Rykiel, alongside Charles Zana – named by AD Magazine as one of the Top 100 Designers of 2023 – freed the volumes from their previous uses, such as obsolete intermediate ceilings, while preserving the architecture’s industrial energy. In this way, the character of the steel girders and bricks could at last be expressed. It now engages in aesthetic dialog with contemporary pieces customdesigned by Zana, such as a masterful sofa in shades of bronze, giving the space a timeless dimension. An opportunity for the engineer to talk about his approach to design: "My aim is always to initiate an intimate conversation between classical architecture and design pieces."

Poetry in green

Above and beyond the potential that Julie de Libran perceived in the built environment, it was outside the walls that her hopes were consolidated. The aspiring designer can't imagine her daily life without the breath of fresh air provided by her two green spaces at the foot of the family home. Areas for meditation, reflection and escape structured by landscape architect Louis Benech, with the approval of Charles Zana, who makes a timely prediction: "The architecture of the next few years will necessarily be more connected to the outside, with more open spaces, which will notably maximize the entry of light and the link with Nature." This was therefore the chronicle of a living space well ahead of its time.