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Architecture A 19th Century Timber Frame House Adapted To A Contemporary World

A 19th Century Timber Frame House Adapted To A Contemporary World

This beautiful maison à colombages dates back to the late 19th century and is located in Paris, France. In 2015 its interior has been renovated by 05AM Arquitectura. The project’s main objective was to improve the functionality of the house and this was done in the most graceful way. The architects were careful to preserve as much of the original charm of the building as they could. They made a few changes to the floor plan and took some time to identify the characteristic elements in each space before making any modifications which might alter the character of the structure.

The exterior of the house was left pretty much intact, reflecting the original 19th century design

Inside the house, a section of a partition from the ground floor was removed in order to connect the living areas

Now the kitchen, dining room and living area form a single large space

The term maison à colombages describes a type of house with timber framing, a style typical to buildings from the 19th century and earlier. In this case, there were many elements worth preserving such as the alcoves on the first floor and, obviously, that unique exterior design. The changes made were primarily meant to increase functionality without visually transforming the house too much. Have a look at the images and see for yourself.