What is it about French family homes that makes them so frustratingly, effortlessly stylish when compared to their stateside counterparts? The design world may never be able to identify that particular je ne sais quoi. Case in point, the converted industrial space outside Lille, France where Fanny and Pascal François live with their two young children. Sandblasted brick, weathered secondhand furniture, and concrete floors are all par for the course with warm and soft-edged loft conversions, but in the hands of this couple, with help from Lille-based Bō Architectures? Truly next-level.
Of course Pascal built the poplar dining room table himself, and centered it below white-painted metal lamps sourced from a local market. It's even less of a surprise that the kitchen island was converted from a fishmonger's vintage workbench. Both are found in the combined kitchen, diving, and living room, which takes up most of the first floor, where walls were knocked down to create and expansive central space. Meanwhile, the fireplace, door posts, and wood panels are all holdovers from the loft's first life. For a closer look at the second floor, including what might be the choicest industrial-bohemian kid's bedroom in existence, head over to Rum Hemma.
· Industriell Romantik I Vaffelfabriken [Rum Hemma]
· All conversions coverage [Curbed National]