A soft winter and a breezy summer – this light and airy apartment is white and black, austere and cozy, simple and puzzling.
This project was one of the most difficult for us in terms of layout solution.
The initial area of the apartment was 92 sq.m (the final total area after refurbishment is 90 sq.m). We were asked to squeeze in a living room and a kitchen/dining room, an isolated bedroom and a study, two bathrooms and preferably make space for a walk-in closet and a laundry room.
The peculiarity of the apartment was its complex polygonal shape, narrow in the central part. Also, the apartment only had three windows. The obvious advantages of the space were a panoramic window and a French balcony. The most difficult part of the project was the first stage – finding a smart layout solution. For this we had to go through more than ten layout options. Most of them met the functional requirements, but were not perfect.
Finally, we arrived at the optimal solution. The main rooms are polygonal in plan view, and efficiently fit in together without any loss of space. The living room is a hexagon and takes up the central spot. The other rooms flank the sides of the living room. The kitchen/dining room is a symmetrical narrow octagon. The study, also a polygon, is adjacent to the living room on one side, and the bedroom is on the other.
This approach was not a designer’s whim. This was a rare case when complicated shapes of the rooms allowed to detangle the layout, ensure easy moving through the apartment and connect all rooms in a convenient and efficient way. We also managed to squeeze in two walk-in closets and a laundry room.
After all furniture was installed, the shape of the rooms was simplified and the layout became more straightforward.
Another advantage of the layout is that a walk through the rooms constitutes a spiral starting from the front door, so when a guest enters the apartment they cannot judge how large the apartment is, since all the rooms unfold one after another.
A special feature of the kitchen is that it does not have its own window, so the daylight only enters it through the doorway leading to the living room. So we had to come up with a design that would even out this disadvantage and ensure proper lighting of the room. We decided not to use false windows with built-in lighting. Instead, all the walls are covered with large tiles of milky polished ceramic granite (by Ariostea, Marmi Bianco collection). The glazed surfaces not only reflect the light, but also provide additional depth to the space. This way the room becomes lighter and more comfortable to be in.
We decided to use the same solution for one of the walls in the study. A glazed wall behind the sofa reflects the light coming from the panoramic window and visually fills the room with air.
This idea became the basis of the whole design concept. Our goal was to create an impression of a light, transparent interior, filled with air, softness and warmness. But we did not envision this interior as “feminine”. On the contrary, the interior is built on the balance of feminine and masculine elements.
As usual, the second important task for us after finding the right layout solution was to organize the perfect lighting. We approach this issue not only from the standpoint of modern technology and lighting requirements per area unit, but also considering the sculptural expressiveness of the lighting fixtures. And in this interior the lights play an exclusive role, because they streamline the complex spaces of the rooms due to their placement in the key spots. For this interior we gathered a great set of outstanding lights, which enrich the space by their expressive shapes (Masiero, Stillux, Facon de Venice, Morosini, Vibia, Leucos, Flos, Tom Dixon, Designheure, Foscarini, Fabbian). The stylish Eva chandelier by Masiero in the living room emphasizes the composition of the whole interior around the central point in the living room.
In the main rooms the ceilings are lowered along the walls and decorated with mouldings; hidden backlighting provides additional light and visually lifts the central part of the ceiling. In the auxiliary rooms the ceilings are lowered, hiding the air conditioning system and fresh air ventilation.
Especially for this project we developed two types of decorative plastering for the walls. Most of the walls are covered with half-glazed white finish which we called Soft Ice. The main wall in the bedroom is covered with textured coating called Black Pied-de-poule.
We completed this project on a turn-key basis, including all design project works, utility systems planning, sourcing and procurement, decorating.
All built-in furniture was manufactured according to our projects, including the bookcase and the drawer chest in the living room. Kitchen furniture was manufactured by Sputnik-Style factory according to our project.
The kitchen appliances are by Kuppersbusch and Liebherr. The worktop in the kitchen is covered with thin ceramic granite by Ariostea (Technostone Black Nat).
The sofa, armchair and coffee table in the living room, the dining table in the kitchen, the sofa and the table in the study are by Casa Mobilya.
The floors in all of the apartment except the bedroom are made of ceramic granite by Ariostea (Pietre Naturali Ardesia Bordeaux). The walls of the guest bathroom are covered with ceramic granite by Tau (Onice Perla). The table in the guest bathroom is made of mosaic tiles by Vitrex (Metallica Satin Bianco). The walls in the master bathroom are covered with ceramic granite by Serenissima (Travertino Grigio).
Bathroom fixtures - Villeroy&Boch, Duravit, Novellini.
Wooden floors in the bedroom – engineered flooring Boen Oak Graphite Stonewashed.
Decorative wall coatings – manufactured by Max-Decor.
Fabrics - Contemporary Collection, Decolux, Cosset, Jab. Bedcovers, cushions – Togas.