Le Contremaître

After a day spent perusing the fine restaurants, bustling public squares, and world-class art galleries of Lille, this apartment offers the opportunity to return to altogether different surroundings. Jump on the TGV and take a half-hour trip to Tourcoing, just over 15 kilometres north of the city. And after a quick fifteen-minute stroll from the train station, you’ll arrive face-to-face with a majestic, red brick building. This was formerly a working factory, but now you can now call it home. On the second floor, your loft-style apartment is big, bold, and beautiful. We love the architecture in the vast living space, with industrial-style black metal columns and a staircase with glass bannisters. From up here, you can act as the foreman, surveying the factory floor from above. The decor is modern and somewhat understated, with monochrome dominating the colour palette alongside natural wooden floors. Huge, arched windows let the light stream in, and a balcony is waiting patiently for you to bring out a glass of champagne and soak up the sun. After ‘clocking off’, take a stroll around the town or even to another country – yes, you read that right. The Belgian border is just a twenty-minute walk from home.

Home truths:
*At full capacity, two guests will be sleeping on a double sofa bed in the lounge (and there's just one bathroom to share between seven)
*The entrance to the building is shared with other residents, not private to your home
*Free parking is available onsite in the car park
*Your host can arrange for extra services, such as airport transfer, breakfast, housekeeping, and ticket bookings – check with them about availability and pricing
*You'll need to climb stairs to get around the home
*To check in between 9 pm and midnight, there's a €22 fee, which increases to €44 between midnight and 6 am
*The bedrooms have much lower ceilings than the main living space
*There is no dedicated workspace, but plenty of laptop-friendly spots