Even though Claire Bataille and Paul ibens are not architects but interior architects, their projects take place between architecture and design, between exterior and interior, between the perfect plan and the compromise of “living”, between arts and crafts. In their training they were told the assignment for an interior architect is to create space, not to decorate space!
In a world abundant with images, Bataille & ibens plead for returning to an approach in which silence and modesty take their place. To describe their work as minimalistic would be an understatement to the essence of their oeuvre. It is expected more and more that a designer produces flashy images for quick and short term consumption. It is this desire for exhibitionism that Bataille & ibens resist. In their oeuvre they want to show us that designing is a process which requires patience, and in which tactile and spacious experiences have to get priority.
Their website is as sleek as their designs. Great find!