Italian architect Andrea Mosca has renovated a formerly dark house in a nice suburb close to Paris into a light-filled residence that houses hundreds of books around the living spaces. The Bookshelf House was created for a family of five who fell in love with the room-length bookshelf at a friend’s house, where they were staying during the renovation. It “was simple,” Mosca told us, “but made almost the lenght of the room.”
The interior wasn’t in good conditions, the main living space was a double-height living room with a grey tile floor and a masonry stair separated by a stainless steel railing. The result was a fairly dark and indifferent set, especially under the cold light of Paris.
“After some tests, I decided to imagine a standard bookshelf element that could populate the space playing different roles when needed”, Mosca continued. He made this structural element to provide a place to display books, the beech wood shelves act as stair bannisters, room dividers and general storage within the three-storey house.
The first wood element starts on the first floor stepping up on the stair and becoming the railing on one side and the main bookshelf on the other. It continues on the mezzanine becoming the railing again and a storage element on the other side.
Mosca enclosed the kitchen in a big glass panel and a glass sliding door to catch as more light as possible, while also creating views to the book-filled living space. The white painted wood floor and the beech wood make a real relaxing and warm environment.
all images courtesy of Andrea Mosca