Rue Saint Georges, Paris (In Progress)

Napoleon III ordered Baron Haussmann to bring air and light into the city of Paris. Haussmann began a tradition of long urban axes, and harmonious and classical attention to ornament. The uniform façades along the new tree-lined boulevards in turn created an architectural framework for the typical Parisian interior – a particular spatial quality behind the frontages. The internal spaces here respect these Haussmannian principles; ornaments, mouldings, spatial arrangements, white walls, herringbone oak floors and old doors seem to suggest that no time has elapsed. This in contrast with the contemporary additions of joinery, bathrooms and kitchen which offer a new layer of rich materials and modernity. (2021-)