The Victorian Loft

  • Mad Atelier
  • Chantal Martinelli
  • Sarah Bagner
The challenge of this project was to unify two neighbouring Victorian houses (1890) to create a spacious two-storey family home. Before the conversion, each house was characterised by small and narrow spaces. The layouts of both homes were immediately overturned by simply demolishing the walls that separate them.  The sleeping area is compiled of four double bedrooms and two bathrooms situated on the lower storey beneath the living area with kitchen, dinning area and guest bathroom. The H-profile steel beams where exposed and six skylights were installed in the on the upper storey in order to increase the sources of light.  The white walls optically expand the space and give the space a sophisticated and elegant touch; particularly with the dark French fishbone parquet flooring that was salvaged from a castle. Despite the open-plan design, the layout is clear and many spaces are acoustically insulated, such as the recreational area for the children that can still be easily controlled via a disappearing glass wall. The bathrooms were reinterpreted with the historical layers of both homes in mind. The interior was done in collaboration with an interior designer, therefore this space has an distinguishing character that contains an eclectic collection of art and furniture that has been collected over time.