![Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_sqb.jpg)
Noémie Meney creates modern summer house inside French garden pavilion
French architect Noémie Meney retained as much of the original structure as possible when converting this 1930s garden building into a summer guesthouse.
![Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_468_16](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_468_16.jpg)
The building is located in the garden of a larger house in Toulon, near Marseille. It had been unused for a long time, so the owners asked architect Noémie Meney to convert it into self-contained guest quarters.
![Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_468_1](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_468_1.jpg)
"The biggest challenge was to conserve the special qualities of the building – its relation to the garden, the internal height, and the brick arch, which allows you to see the garden and the sky from anywhere in the building," Meney told Dezeen.
![Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_468_4](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_468_4.jpg)
To do this, she kept the arch open, and set a new facade of folding-sliding doors further behind it. When open, these doors offer guests a closer connection with the outdoors, and make the space feel more like the shelter it was originally designed as.
![Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_468_6](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_468_6.jpg)
"The project has adjusted itself to the existing space in the way a swallow's nest clings to an attic's framework, altering the volume as little as possible," said Meney.
![Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_468_7](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_468_7.jpg)
The 16-square-metre building has a double-height living space inside, which is just four metres high at its tallest point. It also has a small bathroom and kitchen to the side, separated by a curtain.
"Guests can shower in this open space, while enjoying views of nature – thus the exceptional rapport between the inside and outside has been preserved," said Meney.
![Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_468_10](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_468_10.jpg)
A mezzanine bedroom is accessed by a ladder and screened by wicker, which lets in light while maintaining privacy. The material was chosen over perforated metal to reflect the building’s connection with nature.
"I wanted a living material with its own imperfections and irregularities. The colour changes and it moves a little with humidity," says Meney. "It also offers a good quality of light, with a soothing colour, which you cannot get with a cold material such as metal."
![Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_468_11](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_468_11.jpg)
Photography is by Germain Ferey.
Here's a short description of the project written by Noémie Meney:
Pavillon d'été
This project aimed at turning a brick shack into a holiday bungalow. It was to be fully equipped for a couple, featuring a kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom and a sitting room.
![Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_sq_15](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_sq_15.jpg)
The high-ceilinged original shed enjoyed a remarkable communication with the outside through an ample arch. In order not to tamper with its interesting roominess, the project has adjusted itself to the existing space the way a swallow’s nest clings to an attic’s framework, altering the volume as little as possible.
![Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_468_13](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_468_13.jpg)
This "nest" which occupies the upper volume of the shed is hidden from view by wickerwork screens. Like Venetian blinds or mucharabiehs, they allow a person to see without being seen. Wickerwork, a material designers commonly use for chairs, is here given a modern new lease of life.
![Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_19](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_19.gif)
On the ground floor, the kitchen and the bathroom are partitioned off. In the living room, thanks to an ample curtain, one can have a shower in a vast open space, while enjoying a good view of the natural environment. Thus, the exceptional rapport between the inside and outside of the shelter has been preserved. No visual or material barrier has been added: the orchard appears as an extension of the living space.
![Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_18](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/05/Summer-Pavillon-by-Noemie-Meney_dezeen_18.gif)
There is no such thing as an inside/outside boundary line. The humble shack now affords an outdoor lifestyle in the midst of an orchard, with all modern conveniences.