Solange · When I Get Home
Goethe DreamsInteriors · Paris · MMXXVI
A design dossier · N°01
A place above location
A Parisian rooftop apartment, reimagined as a carioca sanctuary.
© MMXXVI Core Exp · BLF Conseil special division · All rights reserved · Distribution strictly forbidden
The map
Six movementsA journal de bord, after Coelho's Alchemist. A single place, travelled by projection rather than memory: widening the options of the past to draw a better future.
Part I
Universe
The intention, set like the alchemist's quest.
- ·Intention · the alchemist's path
- ·Art direction · music
- ·Journal de bord · Rio · palette
Part II
The space
One place, travelled by projection, not à la Proust.
- ·The apartment · the living room
- ·The verrière · simulations
- ·Projection · the bathroom, a cell of rebirth
Part III · IV
Pieces · Curation
The core cast, then the longlist held in the eye.
- ·Guariche · Area Tokyo · tables
- ·The longlist · already acquired
- ·Moodboard · carpet tones
Part V · VI
Sound · Budget
The room composed in sound, then what it costs.
- ·Origins · sound as matter
- ·The setup · placement
- ·Budget · sourcing
Goethe Dreams · A place above locationFull dossier
Part I
Universe
The sanctuary: Solange, Rio, mineral light.
I / VI
01Intention
The sanctuaryCalm,
sensual,
carioca.
Turn this apartment under the rooftops into a contemplative, musical refuge. It crosses Brazilian modernism, French mid-century grace and the warmth of a Santa Teresa villa, the spirit of Solange's When I Get Home, bathed in amber light.
A
Slowness
Warm materials, few pieces, plenty of emptiness.
B
Sensuality
Walnut, leather, stone: the sculptural seat.
C
Music
Listening at the heart of the home: Juno-X, amp, speakers.
Part I · Universe01
02The journey
When I Get Home“Making Homes, here and there, then gathering them, here.”
The inspiration of Solange's When I Get Home was born from a reunion, and from a life of moves and travels, rooted on Réunion Island. That historic melting pot strangely echoed everywhere: from the Basque Country to AlUla, I found a piece of myself at every stop, and Cape Town reminded me of Réunion. Hence the eclecticism, in the spirit of the Habitas sanctuaries: played like a score for a many-sided sanctuary, as sensual as it is plural, yet in balance.
Réunion IslandBasque CountryParisBrazilJapanMiamiShanghaiDubaiAlUlaNamibiaCape Town
Part I · Universe02
03Chez Georges
à Rio
à Rio
“A villa that sings, perched above the city.”
The project's north star: a modernist villa in Santa Teresa: precious Brazilian wood, a music studio, a view over the bay. We carry its bar-like conviviality up under the Paris rooftops: warm walnut, black leather, low light, records spinning and a Juno purring.
PlaceCarioca modernism · Santa Teresa
SpiritMusic, precious wood, conviviality
Link“A place above location”, the terrace
04Art
direction
direction
01
Solange · When I Get Home
Minimal, meditative language; golden light.
02
Brazilian modernism
Rodrigues, Tenreiro, Fasanello: warm wood, sculptural seating.
03
Chez Georges à Rio
Carioca villa, music, conviviality.
04
Mineral spa
Travertine, terracotta, 2200K light.
05Material palette
Mineral · WarmPart I · Universe05
Part II
The space
The apartment, the living room, the verrière.
II / VI
06The apartment
The living room
The large volume under the roof: listening, lounge, dining. Ceiling up to 3.50 m.
Verrière & balcony
Glazed bay to the south-east, by the lift, the future dining corner, open to the balcony.
Bathroom
The future “Red Hours Spa”: shower, travertine, amber light.
Bedroom · Kitchen · Entrance
Arranged around the living room, with a direct lift.
≈ 5.8 m
≈ 5.5 m
07The living room
Dimensioned plan · 1:50Light
Roof windows to the north, soft and constant.
Verrière & posts
Glazed bay by the lift, black steel posts, structure to celebrate.
≈ 32 m²
Floor area
1:50
Existing plan
Verrière
08The
verrière
Reading the volumeverrière
The light
Roof windows due north, soft, constant light, ideal for listening and naps.
The steel structure
Glazed bay and black steel posts, by the lift, the loft's carioca frame, to reveal rather than hide.
The use
The brightest corner hosts the dining nook, lit by the Hashirama lamp (today in the living room).
Part II · The space08
09Verrière · simulations
Option A · Nichibei storesOption A dressed in Nichibei Japanese honeycomb pleated blinds: soft, filtered light and quiet thermal insulation. One volume, three tones to weigh.
Réf · M5080
Sage green
A verdant, carioca calm, echoing the Guariche greens and the planting beyond the glass.
Réf · M5079
Light linen-grey
Soft, luminous and calming: a timeless, wabi-sabi naturalness.
Réf · M5082
Deep taupe
A more hushed, enveloping elegance: a pronounced mineral, sophisticated Japanese register.
Part II · The spaceNichibei honeycomb · 09
11A cell of
rebirth
The bathroom · footprintrebirth
A small space, on purpose
Barely a few square metres, an enveloping cell, not a room to cross. A threshold for rebirth and renewal.
Warm, mineral, natural
Travertine, terracotta tadelakt and wood, warm to the touch, glowing under a low 2200K light.
A revitalising ritual
The “Red Hours” spa: a slow, restorative pause between the city and the sanctuary.
≈ 149 cm
Overall width
240
Ceiling height (cm)
Part II · The space11
12The bathroom
realised
Simulations · same footprintrealised
Full-length shower
Terracotta tadelakt walls, a smoked-glass screen for privacy, an integrated niche for products.
Carved stone basin
A one-off organic form on a travertine top, with aged-brass vintage taps.
Considered storage
Closed walnut cabinet, an open shelf above the WC and a towel shelf under the vanity.
Part II · The space12
Part III
The pieces
What stays, all signed: Guariche, Area Tokyo, Habitat.
III / VI
13Guariche
KeptThe swivel armchairs in two greens, sage and olive, on a cantilevered chrome base: French mid-century grace. The heart of the living room, they stay and set the forest-green tone.
Reference · armchair & ottoman
14Area Tokyo
Walnut & leatherLounge + ottoman and an armchair, in solid walnut and black leather, the Japanese-Danish line, sculptural and warm. The project's Brazilian/Scandinavian thread.
Wished-for15The tables
Dining · coffee · bedside · sideThe round oxblood dining table (Habitat) and the cream & brass coffee table, already here. The bedside table in rosewood, brass and cane. And, wished-for, a Zara Home side table in marble & polished aluminium.
16Sound & light
The heart of the homeThe listening corner: Roland Juno-X, a vintage Scott amplifier and JBL L52 Classic speakers. And Area Tokyo's Hashirama lamp, a washi-paper sphere on a wooden base, today in the living room, soon by the verrière.
Part IV
Curation
Moodboard, the longlist, carpet tones.
IV / VI
17Moodboard
AmbienceSolange · When I Get HomeCarioca villa · wood & leather“A warm stone that breathes: wood, leather, vinyl, low light.”
Part IV · Curation17
18Carpet · tones
Four tones · bouclé woolPart IV · Curation18
19Pieces in the eye
Glass & vitrine · 1 of 2Beyond the core pieces: a few objects held in the eye. Carioca warmth, Japanese restraint, hand-made glass and ceramic, gathered slowly.
.01
Modular sofa
Solange Knowles · Small MatterOn request
.02
Decanters 001
S. Knowles × J. McDonaldOn request
.03
Glassware ambiance
Saint Heron · Small MatterMood
.04
Vitrine Yukimi
Area Tokyo · ash & shoji€4,044
Part IV · Curation19
20Pieces in the eye
Seating, light & objects · 2 of 2
.05
Chaise A-29 « Kabuto »
Area Tokyo · camel leather€1,524
.06
Table basse Loukoum
Cast amber glassOn request
.07
Ceramic EPI sconces
A. Delesalle · Gal. Jauneau€2,800 / pair
Gloss reference
.08
Bureau verrière
Gloss study · Habitat « Balma » consoleFinish ref
.09
Il Colombaccio sofa
R. Iera · Felice Rossi · 1970s€6,500
.10
Side table
Zara x Vincent Van Duysen · marble & aluWished-for
Part IV · Curation20
21Already
acquired
L'art de la table · in handacquired
The table is already set: glass, porcelain and silver gathered over time. The ground the evenings rest on.
Coloured tumblers
DiorDinner & soup plates
Hermès · SoleilFlatware
Hermès · HTSBlue salad bowl grand modèle
HermèsDessert plates
Bernardaud × Dar MimaPart IV · Curation21
Part V
Sound
A room composed: texture, absorption, the keyboard.
V / VI
22Origins
A note of intentionThe confirmation came with Solange. Listening to Weary and Rise in Wynwood, Miami, in 2016, my draw to music finally made sense, not as naive listening but as the felt sense of a moment, a place, a feeling I carry back with me.
Solange · A Seat at the Table · Wynwood, Miami · 2016
Watch · Solange in conversation ↗ ▶ Goethe Dreams · Apple Music
SolangeMayhemGesaffelsteinDarkchildKaytranadaPinkPantheressSadePink FloydUS R&BUS rapVivaldiBachDebussyLady Gaga
My ear was formed at home, in the music my parents played through the whole house: Sade, Pink Floyd, a great deal of American R&B and rap, and the classics my mother kept close, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Bach, Debussy's Clair de lune.
Then pop culture won. A taste for the star-system and its serigraphy, a product, pop-art eye I carried into my fine-arts baccalaureate. The keyboard followed, as evidence: a tool to shape musical textures in resonance with these rooms.
Lady Gaga's Mayhem lands at a moment that resonates: Shadow of a Man and Killah with Gesaffelstein feel decisive, and Telephone with Darkchild stays in the body. But When I Get Home remains, Solange's Jimmy Fallon live above all. Closer still: Kaytranada's Timeless, More Than a Little Bit with Tinashe, and PinkPantheress's A Girl like Me with Oklou.
Part V · Sound22
23The setup
Chosen pieces · the instrument.01
Amplifier
Warmth in the signalScott · vintage
.02
Speakers
The listening cornerJBL L52
.03
Booth station
JJ Booth · decks & vinyl wallReference
.04
Roland Juno-X
Shapes the room's texturesSynth
.05
Moog analog
Grain & driftSubsequent 37
Part V · Sound23
24Placement
In the planThe listening corner
Synth, amp and speakers gathered by the warm north light: sit, play, listen.
Off the circulation
Tucked from the path so the room stays calm and the cables stay hidden.
Volume & reflection
The high verrière ceiling opens the sound; the wool carpet tames it.
Part V · Sound24
25Budget & phasing
Indicative estimates01≈ €11,000
Living-room works
Floor, electrics, paint
02≈ €9,200
Bathroom · spa
Travertine, terracotta, 2200K
03≈ €5,550
Furniture to acquire
Sofa, rug, console, side pieces
Estimated total≈ €26,000
Realistic range: €19,000 – €38,000. We invest in the sofa and the floor; the rest is sourced over time.
Phasing
Phase 1
Light structural work
Remove sisal, electrics, paint.
Phase 2
Floors & finishes
Lay carpet, cladding.
Phase 3
Bathroom spa
Travertine, tadelakt, amber light.
Phase 4
Curation
Sofa & rug, then sourcing.
Part VI · Budget25
