A resolutely maximalist mini loft | ZYVA Studio | Anthony Authié

A resolutely maximalist mini loft this might be the best way to describe architect and Zyva Studio founder Anthony Authié’s latest project. A generous volume and high ceilings were all it took to convince the young Parisian architect to take on this 55m² space, located within an old industrial building in the suburban town of Bagnolet, close to Paris.

The World of Trans-Design

Often describing trans-desgin as a hybrid or composite form of architecture, Authié used the space to experiment with various blends of shapes, colors, motifs and material in order to create a playful and ultra-graphic universe.

“The goal, for me and my life partner, was to create a truly unique experience. Before even considering the spatial structure of the apartment, how we would move within it, or even the practical aspects of furniture, we wanted to create a fully-fledged and unique aesthetic that reflected who we are.”

A ‘00s backdrop

Having grown up in the 2000s, Authié incorporated various references to his youth within the project to create what he calls “an aesthetic narrative”.

“It’s something like a patchwork that I create by picking screenshots from my memories, or rather snapshots of moments from my life. I assemble these images to create a new hybrid architectural form. An architecture of reference. An architecture of memorial collage.”

The floor and the walls are covered with a sleek gray Terrazzo, reminiscent of the showy materials used in the villas used as sets see on reality TV shows. The bedroom and bathroom are rendered in monochromatic yellow and green, as if painted with neon highlighters.

The handles of the kitchen doors, all 3D-printed, resemble the spiky turtle shells of the Mario Bros franchise. The light fixtures are LED strips akin to the strobes of techno clubs. The flame motif is a reference to the world of car tuning where the hoods of vehicles are highly customized. The metal covering the kitchen cabinets and cupboards is an ode to Mr. Freeze’s costume, a villain featured in Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin.

“I reimagined the space like an archive of my partner’s memories and mine. I wasn’t so much thinking of creating an architectural piece, but rather of inviting people to discover the various subcultures that left their mark on us.”

From car tuning to reality TV, Authié cultivates disparities, where anything and everything leads to architectural creation. A box within a box Bursts of color give way to an apartment with a rationally structured space.

“This apartment is straightforward – like a kid’s Lego game. It’s essentially a large box that’s 4.2 meters high in which we fit a second 2.1 meters high box to create the bathroom. We added a third box above the second, made from glass this time, to create the bathroom. The stairs wrap around the various elements to connect them and create one space.”

Toy Story-esque furniture

The apartment was also designed to house cartoon-inspired furniture.

“I like to think of pieces of furniture like fictional characters. Just like the toys in Toy Story that come to life as soon as Andy leaves the room. I see them as actors in my architectural narrative. They’re integral parts of the larger play that’s enacted around me. Without them, it would just be an empty stage, a ghost town.”

The architect therefore called on various designers he admires, among other things, to find company for his “Bandit” chair. Named after the fictional criminal Dalton brothers from popular Belgian comics Lucky Look, the chair was created in collaboration with carpenter Maxime Cornet.

Other pieces, such as OHM’s Pion stools can also be found across the apartment, favored for their playful and childlike palettes. More notable pieces include JOJO’s stools or Alix COCO’s Dinodishes, as well as illustrations by Sucukundbratwurst, Robuche (Javier Rodriguez and Lou Buche), Recsoverto or even Vasarely to name a few. A table by Costance Gennari, Art Deco sofas by Hugue Chevalier, a chair by Victoria Magnant and an armchair credited to the TOTEM movement complete the scene.

A singular architectural vocabulary

This project allowed the Zyra Studio agency to create new linguistic elements belonging to an architectural vocabulary that is entirely its own, a form of architecture that is both uninhibited and pluralistic. An architecture of remembrance.

Location / Bagnolet, France
Architect / Zyva studio
Area / 55 sqm
Completion / 2022
Credit pictures / Yohann Fontaine