Architects do frugal better than anyone. Without doubt the best office spaces I’ve worked in have been shoe string fitouts - all open plan painted doors on trestles and black angle poise lights arranged (with shambolic flair) within a lofty post-industrial shell. Spaces loved and admired by staff and visitors alike, precisely because they never felt like they were trying too hard. They were authentic.
Fast forward to Paris where, this time, thanks to two young architects (ex studio Jean Nouvel) intent on making their own way and a home for themselves and a young family, the tradition continues.