Once again, it seems that the francophone world is particularly enamored with living in exposed, glass-fronted converted shops. Not that opting for windows instead of walls is anything new, architecturally speaking, but after seeing it done at street level in an urban setting, hiding a glass-fronted modern home behind a gated enclosure seems like a bit of a copout. ("How bourgeois," sneers the scarf-wearing, chain-smoking grad student within us.) The latest argument against complete residential privacy comes by way of French designer Paul Coudamy, who recently transformed a butcher shop in suburban Paris into this cool, customizable living space.
↑ Coudamy calls the Blur home an exercise "that requires thinking of new concepts of living, interchanging private life and public life... a transparent environment made up of spaces that never totally discloses its fragile privacy." The entrance, which was turned into a small glass-enclosed garage for the motorbike-enthusiast who commissioned the place, is surrounded by a bookcase with pivoting sections. A tilted mirror above the shelf allows the owner to admire his ride from multiple angles.
↑ The same oak from the bookshelf was used in a freestanding spiral staircase with fan-shaped steps that shrink as it approaches the ceiling. To the right, a glimpse of the charcuterie's original walk-in refrigerator door, which was kept intact during the revamp.
↑ The same living room, dimly lit with a mannequin striking a hammy pose in the entryway. Coudamy's no stranger to using life-size human forms in cheeky ways: his other work includes a Parisian abode with an "invisible" duo, and another with a model wearing a luchador mask.
· Butcher shop transformed into a home by Paul Coudamy [Dezeen]
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