LOFTS OF PARIS

Loft o f Paris is the fourth in a series of seven books that Tectum ispublishing on the lofts of seven European cities. After Antwerp, Amsterdamand London and while waiting for Berlin, Barcelona and Stockholm, Tectumhas opened the doors of some fifty marvellous loftsin Paris and itsoutskirts. These lofts were selected to present the challenges of organising anddecorating an abandoned industrial site or workshop. Many workshops,garages, warehouses, small factories, printing works and large shedsaround Paris have been given a new lease of life. For the most part theyare found in the city's working-class neighbourhoods such as Bastille,Belleville, Ménilmontant, the North and the Eastern stations, Les Halles,Les Lilas, and on outskirts of the city. As a result, they have given riseto a mixture of socio-economic classes as well as preserving an endangeredindustrial heritage and offering the possibility of exploring a newapproach to interior design.Choosing to live or work in a loft, or both,is a complete break with tradition. It means perceiving open space in itstotality so as to be able to fashion to it individual specifications, inline with one's tastes and needs. This creative approach offers splendidsurprises and imaginative gems ranging from the high-tech to theclassical, from minimalism to the Baroque, from intimate to exotic. The photographs speak from themselves. That is why the text hasdeliberately been kept to a minimum.