They used to be garages… now they’re our living room and studio
Come behind the scenes at La Maison Fives, our home in Lille. Here in Fives Cail, in the Lille Fives neighbourhood, we’ve turned former garages into a space that feels like us: a sunlit living room and a ceramics studio for Soula. It’s a first version, yes, but already a real turning point for our guesthouse and studio shop project.
Opening the guesthouse… and tackling major renovations
We started with the part you may already know: the guesthouse next door, designed as a small boutique hotel with five bedrooms and five bathrooms. While we were hosting guests, work began in the former garages: replacing the doors with shopfront windows, creating our living space, and fitting out bedrooms with bathrooms upstairs. Quite a job, to put it mildly.
Living and working in the middle of a building site
Honestly, it was a workout. We’d prepare the rooms, welcome our guests, then put our hard hats back on and get on with the renovations. Comfort was basic: meals in the little kitchen, sometimes upstairs, and everyday life among boxes, dust and a cordless drill. But running the guesthouse gave us the momentum to keep going.
Looking back, we’re not sure we’d have the energy to start something like that again straight away. Now the biggest jobs are behind us, though, we have some lovely memories. Even the children thought it was pretty cool. And the dog claimed every patch of sunshine that came his way.
Our new living space: a south-facing living room and studio
Today, our first version is here: a space that is both our living room and Soula’s ceramics studio. The shopfront windows are in, the room faces south, light filters through the blinds, and life is finally slowing down. Soula throws, glazes and fires; we take a breath and enjoy the space. It’s simple, bright and full of life. And it feels incredibly good.
Ceramics is part of the project’s DNA, with the studio, small batches and ideas for a gallery and shop. If the material interests you, here’s a little background reading: what ceramics is all about.
What’s next? A coffee shop connected to the guesthouse
We’re taking it one step at a time: today it’s our living room and studio; tomorrow, this same space will become the coffee shop connected to La Maison Fives guesthouse. A counter, good coffee, a place open to the street, alongside the studio and our ceramic pieces. We’re moving at our own pace.
A project rooted here in Lille
Transforming this corner house in Lille Fives Cail is our way of contributing, on our own scale, to the neighbourhood’s energy. We stay true to what matters to us: a warm welcome, thoughtful design, sharing our creations, and offering intimate accommodation in Lille for people who enjoy places with a story.
We’re keeping going, at our own pace
This “first version” is only one stage, but what a stage. We’re proud of how far we’ve come, and above all happy to finally sit in the sunshine, watch Soula at work in the studio, and imagine what comes next. Thank you to everyone who drops by, stays with us or leaves a kind word. We’ll keep you posted about the coffee shop opening.
For the before-and-after video and our latest news: our Facebook post.
