A girl working in the fashion industry wanted to decorate an apartment in a modern style in a monolithic brick house, which was built several years ago. The initially chosen loft style was enriched in the process of implementation with new features that brought a taste of ethnicity and Cape Cod into the interiors; a careful eye will notice details borrowed from the classics. The original combination of various stylistic components helped create a unique atmosphere in the home.
For the bar table, which also serves as a dining table, we chose two types of stylish and light chairs. Convenient rails were attached to the kitchen apron; the utensils placed on them fit well into the loft interior
The owner of the apartment needed a spacious studio combining a living room, kitchen, and dining room, a separate bedroom with an attached bathroom, and a guest bathroom. In addition, it was necessary to equip as many storage spaces as possible. It was planned to create a relaxation area on the studio balcony but without frills.
During the discussion, the loft was chosen as a style reference, but the customer, who took an active part in the selection of finishing materials, later decided to make some changes to the design – the specialists took into account her wishes.
Redevelopment
The apartment, almost square in plan (only on one of the inner corners there is a small rectangular recess) is located in a high-rise building, from its three large windows on the outer wall (the two outer ones open onto the balcony and loggia) a beautiful panorama of the city opens up, a lot of light enters the openings. During the redevelopment, they tried to emphasize these advantages of the home. In addition, the apartment has three water risers, to which it was convenient to “connect” the bathrooms and kitchen. Without affecting the load-bearing wall between the current bedroom and the kitchen, the partitions were dismantled, which made it possible to create a bright studio with two windows; the passage between it and the entrance area was widened. The space of the latter was reduced by building a niche for a closet. At the entrance, a neat laundry room was installed in a compartment provided by the developer, which was narrowed and equipped with sliding doors. Adjacent to the laundry room is a bathroom with a shower compartment. The entrance to the bathroom was located from the bedroom. Immediately behind the door of the latter, in the passage area, a niche was installed for a built-in wardrobe, and a place was found for a dressing table on the wall opposite the door.
Exclusive details
There are many items in the apartment created specifically for this project. Thus, the loft aesthetics of the studio are set not only by the general proportions of the room, the decoration of the walls and floor, but also by spectacular shelving made of wood and metal with characteristic elements – brutal metal ribbons with nails, which line the edges of the shelves and the frames of sections with drawers; they are made of metal and stretch marks. The bar (aka dining) table on a metal frame and the coffee table are also made to order, their rectangular wooden tabletops are also placed on metal frames. In the bathroom, the washbasin is complemented by a custom-made console stand made of blackened metal. Such details with laconic transparent silhouettes fit well into loft-style rooms. On the balcony next to the living room there is a solid oak cabinet with order decor, also made to order.
Repair
The old screed in the apartment was replaced, the walls were leveled with plaster, the waterproofing of wet areas was strengthened, and new partitions were erected from tongue-and-groove blocks. The ceilings in the rooms were leveled with plasterboard, in the bathrooms – with the help of tension matte structures. The walls were partially painted and partially covered with decorative plaster or tiled to resemble clinker bricks. The walls of the bathroom were decorated with mosaics. The balcony and loggia were insulated, and higher-quality double-glazed windows were installed in frames covered with wood-like film. In the rooms, the window frames are made of laminated wood, and the window sills are made of artificial stone. The radiators were not covered – they were painted in a color that contrasted with the shade of the walls, and in the bedroom, instead of a radiator, an in-floor convector was installed. The audio speakers of the system located in the living room were connected to the bathroom and bedroom.
Space saving
When designing a small apartment, you need to remember about ease of movement; dimensional parts, door and window sashes should not eat up space. For example, a window in the living room can be tilted towards itself, and in order to open it completely, the sashes are moved. The door to the bathroom is also sliding: a panel of frosted glass with an upper suspension moves to the ledge of the partition, next to which there is a small pocket on the side of the bathroom. The shower compartment in the bathroom is also equipped with a sliding transparent door. The kitchen solution is noteworthy: since the length of the working composition is 3.2 m, which is not much, and the bar table has no storage space (which makes the interior seem more airy), the lower modules were increased in depth by 20 cm (standard depth is 60 cm). Thus, all kitchen utensils were placed in cabinets, freeing up the work surface. In addition, an oven model with a microwave function was chosen for the kitchen.
The loggia, bedroom, and bathroom are on the same open axis, making them seem more spacious. in addition, this compositional technique allows you to evaluate the variety of finishes and combinations of materials
Design
The interior design is based on loft aesthetics, which today is usually combined with elements of various styles. Initially, it was planned to decorate the interiors neutrally and sparingly, the walls were partially painted white, and partially finished like brick (partitions between windows, protruding structural volumes of risers, etc.), and in the living room, they were to be covered with decorative cement-like plaster (in the bedroom the plaster was supposed to imitate a silk moire surface). However, in the end, they settled on patterned floor tiles: for example, in the hallway, a black and white pattern, stylized as a mosaic, is reminiscent not so much of a Mediterranean interior as of the entrance part of a classic mansion. In the bedroom, the floor from the entrance to the home to the wall behind the “dressing room” mirror (as the hostess calls the dressing table area) is tiled with polychrome tiles and is associated with an oriental carpet. In the bathroom, the wall behind the toilet is lined from floor to ceiling with patchwork tiles. In addition, several piers and door niches are painted cobalt blue, adding depth and coolness to the interiors.
Thanks to the combination of loft aesthetics, and ethnic and classical elements, one gets the feeling that different contexts have long coexisted in this modern apartment.
Thus, in the bathroom, a small fragment of the wall is decorated with original tiles with a variety of patterns, which are doubled by a mirror behind the washbasin.
Individual approach
The apartment has low ceilings (initially 2.8 m, after renovation 2.7 m), so instead of volumetric pendant lamps, built-in models were used in all interiors. Only the bar table was accented with three cone-shaped lampshades arranged in a row on low pendants. It is noteworthy that in the studio the owner decided to completely abandon curtains – in the dark, the windows offer a panoramic view with a mesmerizing scattering of lights. But metal curtain rods were still attached so that during house parties the owner could hang garlands of LED lights from them. For greater convenience, the sockets were located near the windows, on both sides of the window sills. The dressing table is illuminated in an original way: the mirror is framed by light bulbs built into the frame without shades.
Thanks to carefully thought-out compositional solutions and well-chosen furniture, interiors seem more spacious: built-in objects are optically reduced in volume, “weightless” mirrored (closet wardrobes) or achromatic (kitchen) facades give the rooms depth and airiness, thin frames of tables and chairs easily transmit
light from the windows. There is very little textile, and it is plain (blue, beige-gray) – curtains and a removable cover for the head of the bed in the bedroom, upholstery of the sofa, and armchairs in the living room. Contrasting textures and colors attract attention and look decorative – for example, radiators and window sills painted brown in the same color highlight the vibrating “masonry” of the walls, imitating whitewashed brick. High baseboards, paneled doors and doors, a classic fireplace portal, and traditional frames in the bedroom create an elegant environment, but without glamorous accents. Convenient movement trajectories also provide long-light perspectives.
The customer had no specific style wishes – the main thing was that the apartment looked modern, and during the discussion we settled on the loft concept. The final appearance of some finishing elements did not emerge immediately. For example, the housewife first chose laminate for flooring, but later it was decided to cover the floors in the passage areas and hallway with tiles with ornaments, and in the living rooms with natural wood. We created the design of most of the furnishings ourselves – they were made to order. A convector was built into the floor of the bedroom, since a chest of drawers was installed in the partition where the radiator could fit. All water taps in the apartment are equipped with Aqua-stop systems.
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