It’s a Wrap: Bookcase Walls Create Bedrooms in a Loft
In a Brussels warehouse loft, bedroom islands constructed for privacy are paneled in wood and bookcases
In a former warehouse in Brussels, Belgium, a family wanted to convert their one-story, open-plan space into a loft that would include a home and an art studio. Shin Bogdan Hagiwara and Shizuka Hariu of SHSH Architecture + Scenography divided the space into living and work areas and constructed built-in zones for bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. “The largeness of the loft evokes the image of an ocean,” Hagiwara says. “There is only a vast plateau where three island-like enclosed volumes float on this ocean.” We asked the architect to tell us more about the bedrooms.
We spoke with Hagiwara:
The idea: “We wanted to transform an old warehouse into a contemporary loft for a family. There was a limited budget, but we aimed to create an integrated work and living space that incorporated plenty of textures and colors, blending the old with the new. The loft includes an art studio, living room and play areas. There’s even a swing.”
How it works: “The size of the loft evokes the image of an ocean. Within it we built enclosed island-like volumes for the bedrooms, the kitchen and the bathroom.”
The idea: “We wanted to transform an old warehouse into a contemporary loft for a family. There was a limited budget, but we aimed to create an integrated work and living space that incorporated plenty of textures and colors, blending the old with the new. The loft includes an art studio, living room and play areas. There’s even a swing.”
How it works: “The size of the loft evokes the image of an ocean. Within it we built enclosed island-like volumes for the bedrooms, the kitchen and the bathroom.”
Materials and methods: The outside wall of the master bedroom is clad in timber paneling. … Steel-framed sliding glass doors … take natural light from the workspace windows opposite.”
"A bookshelf, stocked with the family's extensive book collection, partitions off another bedroom."
The challenges: “To maintain the open space by ensuring it was free of corridors or divisions — there is a minimum of partitions.”
Any surprises? “For visitors, it can be finding that a door in the custom-built bookcase is an entry to a child’s bedroom.”
Tell us: Does your home feature a cleverly designed room within a room? Tell us about it or share a photo of it in the Comments section.
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Any surprises? “For visitors, it can be finding that a door in the custom-built bookcase is an entry to a child’s bedroom.”
Tell us: Does your home feature a cleverly designed room within a room? Tell us about it or share a photo of it in the Comments section.
More
Novel Ways With Bedroom Books
World of Design: 11 Book Lovers and Where They Like to Read
Who lives here: A web designer and a stylist with three children
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Architects: Shin Bogdan Hagiwara and Shizuka Hariu of SHSH Architecture + Scenography (with offices in Belgium, Japan and the U.K.)
See more of this project