A sustainable wood prefab reflects the outdoors within its minimalist interior design
![Large windows framing the landscape](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/riyFidAtsatpAVExSyeRch-415-80.jpg)
Much like many current creative collaborations, it was Instagram that alerted German furniture brand Stattmann Neue Moebel to the architectural work of Atelier ordinaire in 2017. ‘We were so intrigued by the wooden houses that we had to send the owner of atelier ordinaire, Thomas Walter, an email immediately,’ says Nicola Stattmann, co-founder of Stattmann Neue Moebel. A couple of clicks later and they have just designed a sustainable and minimalist prefab wood house together in Bourgogne in France.
A mutual love of wood (and each other’s work) officially kicked off the project. ‘For me, the rooms in the houses of atelier ordinaire are themselves like well-made furniture,’ Stattmann explains. ‘The outside corresponds exactly with the inside. There is no disconnection – only wooden volumes, soft transitions and clear lines. I cannot picture our furniture in a better space.’ The wood for the structure and the furniture inside is all sourced via sustainable forestry, a mutual ethos for both companies.
The furniture chosen for the project from Stattmann Neue Moebel’s vast collection are perfectly paired with the simple internal architecture. Spread sparsely across the angular walls of the building are Brussels-based designer Sylvain Willenz’s Profile series of highly crafted oak and ash products that create a pleasing sense of continuity throughout. Clusters of Add stools by German designer Steffen Kehrle also pepper the space alongside his Plug shelves, that Stattmann explains ‘work equally well next to the wall or as a room divider.’
Minimalist furniture by Stattmann Neue Moebel inside Atelier ordinare’s wood house prefab
Stattmann Neue Moebel and Atelier ordinare ensured the bucolic French landscape outside was highlighted by the design too. Large windows throughout the space act as cinematic frames for nature. The outdoors is also reflected in the tones and textures used, the dark hued weather resistant exterior of the house nods to the bark of the pine trees, while Stattmann chose 11 tones of this natural wood for the furniture. ‘We selected the grey-green, white, nude-grey, and grey which match the garden, the light and the natural pine tree wood of the interior walls perfectly.’ she details. ‘To create contrast, we selected the black-blue and the dark-blue, which are strong without being loud. The harmony with the surrounding environment is not just a question of the colours. It is also the matt surface which shows the grain of the wood very naturally and beautifully.’
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Atelier ordinaire website and the Stattmann Neue Moebel website
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Sujata Burman is a writer and editor based in London, specialising in design and culture. She was Digital Design Editor at Wallpaper* before moving to her current role of Head of Content at London Design Festival and London Design Biennale where she is expanding the content offering of the showcases. Over the past decade, Sujata has written for global design and culture publications, and has been a speaker, moderator and judge for institutions and brands including RIBA, D&AD, Design Museum and Design Miami/. In 2019, she co-authored her first book, An Opinionated Guide to London Architecture, published by Hoxton Mini Press, which was driven by her aim to make the fields of design and architecture accessible to wider audiences.
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
At Lee Ufan Arles, tension and calm guide relationships between space and art
Lee Ufan Arles opens in the south of France, a collaboration between the famed Korean artist and Japanese architect Tadao Ando
By Amah-Rose Mcknight Abrams Published
-
A new era: Centre Pompidou architects discuss their bold 2030 plans
Plans for the Centre Pompidou 2030 vision were recently announced, revealing a design refresh of the iconic Paris structure; we caught up with its lead architects Moreau Kusunoki to hear more
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
The Grand Paris Express, Europe’s largest urban design project, is en route to success
The Grand Paris Express is a system of new rapid transit lines across the French capital, with each station designed by a different architect – and it's currently under construction
By Amy Serafin Published
-
The Fondation Maeght in Provence digs deep for a spectacular gallery expansion
The Fondation Maeght, the first private art institution, turns 60 this year and celebrates with a glamorous extension to its Provence home
By Amy Serafin Published
-
The new Krug winery in the Champagne heartland connects process and nature
AW2 Architects’ design for the Krug winery encapsulates the part rural, part urban landscape of the French winemaking region of Ambonnay
By Caragh McKay Published
-
Modernist architecture: inspiration from across the globe
Modernist architecture has had a tremendous influence on today’s built environment, making these midcentury marvels some of the most closely studied 20th-century buildings; here, we explore the genre by continent
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Grand Palais restoration in Paris through the lens of champion fencer Enzo Lefort
As Paris’ Grand Palais prepares to reopen following extensive restoration by Chatillon Architectes, we visit the site with champion fencer and photographer Enzo Lefort, who documented the space ahead of the Olympic Games 2024
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Royan Architecture Month showcases French modernism by the sea
Royan Architecture Month 2024 launches in the French city, where many travel to see midcentury builds by the sea, from Notre Dame church to Palais des Congrès
By Stacy Suaya Published