During renovation and extension of a business house in an industrial area, the building was topped up with additional floors. For the new atelier space under the roof the artist & photographer Yves Suter was able to consult with the owners and rents the space since its build. Through his past and deep relation with Japan, he was inspired to create a simple and empty space. For both, the atelier space and the furniture design, the approach was to focus on clear lines and reduction in visual aesthetics. A consequent design to create space for creating.
A company which is specialized in renewable energies owns the building and is the main tenant. The roof structure and building layout was all predetermined by them. Hence a big solar plant is covering the full south facing roof which is producing more than enough electrical power and warm water for all businesses and apartments in the building. The roof consists of prefabricated wooden panels, which are made of local pine wood. Due to the warm feeling of this ceiling, the artist decided to make a primed grey concrete floor to have a cool counterpart and as a result to achieve a neutral and well balanced ambiance. The lofty space has big south facing windows and smaller north facing roof lights, therefore it is extremely bright all year round and a lot of north light shines into the atelier. In general the artist outlined a color scheme of neutral warm tones with natural materials which is consistently followed throughout the entire space. The result is a nice balance of color and light which creates a comfortable and productive work atmosphere, an atelier of peace and tranquility in an otherwise hectic world.
Picking up the sustainable thoughts of the owners, the artist designed and built together with a local carpenter bespoke furniture and shelves from FSC certified oak wood. An exception is the furniture in the painting workplace which was built with the same local pine wood as used in the roof to disappear visually. The artist built himself three big tables, two desks with four workplaces, and one table for eating that comes along comfortable self designed chairs to sit on. Some secondhand chairs and stools were purchased to round up the furniture in the atelier. The very few walls are painted plain white for occasional picture taking and to simply not distract from work. Few artworks are hanging in the office section though.
A massive shelve was built in as a room divider and art book library to separate the lounge area from the working area. The lounge contains a self built couch with organic leather and reworked lounge chairs that create a cozy area for enjoying a break and flipping through the books. Besides the lounge there is an indoor garden which gives sort of a courtyard feeling, and with it's all year round green plants provides for a positive vibe. Text description by the architects.
