Some call it cramped, others cozy, but there is a definite mystique to places like Paris that allow neighbors to build wall-to-wall, filling in voids, nooks and crannies in creative and unusual ways. A car garage and practice space on top of one another take things to a new level entirely.

Cut Architectures did an applause-worthy job of making space for the resident cellist, a semi-enclosed street-level parking space … all while mediating between two drastically different dwellings on either side of the expansion.

The most obvious and elegant move: connecting each point in the facade, resulting in a lovely irregular geometric form framing the lofted rehearsal room. Thick concrete wraps this added area heavily, which in turn seems to float between the two buildings more than being supported from underneath.


Below, a pair of perforated aluminum side-swing doors rotate open for cars (to a space with stacked concrete blocks on either side) – rear gates also fold open to reveal a small enclosed exterior garden to the rear of the property.

The old 1920s home expanded into this new zone was renovated as well, revealing certain original structural elements (such as aged wooden trusses) while adding a layer of crisp, clean white for its contemporary inhabitants.