When the interior architect on this project first approached Sophie Mallebranche, the brief was deceptively simple: a partition between the entrance hall and the main living space that would provide visual separation without blocking light.
The challenge, as is often the case in high-end residential work, lay in the details. The residence combined raw concrete ceilings with antique oak flooring — two materials with strong and conflicting characters. Any partition would need to mediate between them rather than compete.
After reviewing several options from the collection, the architect selected a custom weave in oxidised brass with an irregular plain structure — loose enough to allow light transmission, dense enough to read as a solid plane from certain angles. The panel was produced in a single run to avoid any variation in patina, then installed on a bespoke steel frame fabricated by a local ironsmith.
Six months after completion, the client noted that the panel had begun to deepen in tone — the natural oxidisation of brass in a domestic environment. This was expected, and welcomed. It is one of the qualities that makes metal textiles a long-term investment rather than a finishing choice: they do not remain static. They become part of the life of a space.
Full project photography is available on request for approved media and editorial partners.
