An insalubrious street-level space. A studio to be fitted in with precision. elua® imagines their smallest project yet, reinterpreting this urban apartment as a fully integrated, ultra-contemporary space. This is Fenêtres sur rue.

Although Fenêtres sur rue is the studio’s smallest project, it is by no means the least complex in terms of design challenges. How can one rehabilitate a dark, substandard street-level space into a functional living environment? How can a compact space be expanded without an extension? How can natural light be brought in when additional openings are impossible? A program of housing suitable for a student or a young couple.

Panels of cut-out shapes and differentiated colors, parallel to the studio’s facade, are placed at varying depths to define new visual lines. The space is thus considered frontally and draws inspiration as much from theatrical scenography as from modernism, opening up the volume and organizing functionality through vertical layers rather than a traditional horizontal plan. This singular approach allows all areas of the studio to be integrated while eliminating the notion of compartmentalized rooms.

The panels seamlessly incorporate the various spaces, technical elements, and storage units, making them invisible and fluid. By removing the concept of horizontal plans, the project also creates a volume read through vertical layers, composing a new, airy, open, and contemporary space that actively engages with its inhabitants.