Design firm: Institut Palmyre
Project name: Apartment rue Tournefort
Location: Nantes, France
Dimensions: 230 sqm In the heart of Nantes, on the top floor of an eighteenth-century building, Institut Palmyre — a design studio and woodworking workshop — has transformed a space shaped by many past lives into a true theatrical setting. Here, domestic rituals become daily performances. The removal of incongruous partitions has revealed the original structure: load-bearing masonry walls and exposed wooden beams. This intervention has resulted in five rooms of equal size, now clearer and more legible. Within each space, the project introduces a new layer of custom-made, handcrafted wooden built-ins, integrated into the historic shell. These elements organize the interiors while combining multiple functions. They open from above, below, front or back, becoming platforms, stage wings, storage units, beds, benches, or compact service areas—offering ever-changing perspectives. Pieces inspired by classical interiors — such as a lit à baldachin or a coffered chestnut wood ceiling — coexist with reflective stainless steel furnishings and perforated, brightly colored metal stools, softening the grandeur of the eighteenth century with restrained contemporary accents.