The story of this project actually began a couple of years ago when i had the pleasure of renovating a ‘feminine industrial apartment’ for a young professional lady… In the mean time her lifestyle changed from single living to being a young family with a toddler so therefore they needed a larger home that would not only reflect her taste but also her partner’s and daughter’s. In contrast to our fist joint project which was soft, feminine and playful we now wanted to achieve a more urban and grown up feel of the space.
The family divides their time between Slovenia and Belgium so they wanted a comfortable home that visually resembles a hotel suite yet is easy to clean up and maintain. Fun fact: most of this project was designed remotely as at the time the clients were located in Belgium, i was in China and Mateja Katja Vrtovec Jerančič, my partner at NIŠA arhitektura, supervised the installation process on site.
The apartment is located in a new building near Ljubljana old town; the clients purchased the apartment when it was still being built. That allowed us to choose the flooring and tiles and also gave us freedom to make a couple of smaller changes to the floor plan such as joining two smaller bathrooms into a larger one (that also includes a sauna!) and changing the kitchen layout to fit the needs of the family.
At the fist visit to the construction site we fell in love with the natural light coming into the space through the large floor to ceiling windows. What we did not like as much was the view through the said windows as they face either a busy street or a derelict house next door. We solved the problem by installing semi transparent curtains that block the view yet allow the light to come through and visually soften the space.
The investors wanted a grown up aesthetic with an urban feel and a Scandinavian touch. As they are avid collectors of art they wanted an interior where their art collection would take center stage. That is why we kept the built in furniture minimalistic and the color palette neutral. That gave us the freedom to choose eclectic smaller pieces and accessories which can later on easily be exchanged.
The color scheme is mostly monochrome with small doses of pastel colors and rich velvet textures to soften the vibe of the space. Layered shades of grey tones create a sophisticated look while the space is warmed up by the rich dark texture of the parquet. Smokey mirror details add some glamour and concrete texture of the kitchen back splash and bedroom wall emphasis the youthful vibe of the space. In the bathrooms we had a bit less design freedom as we had to choose the tiling and finishes from the contractors catalog. What we could to was design the custom cabinets in the similar warm wood tone as the parquet to keep the cohesive look of the whole project and add custom oval backlit mirrors.
The one space that is visually very different from the rest of the apartment is the kids bedroom which was designed with the little queen in mind. We followed the Montessori principle which dictates the space be designed from the child’s perspective and all elements to be functional. First off, the playful wallpaper was chosen by the client so we could match the color scheme of the room to it. The house shaped bed is built into a bespoke wardrobe while all of the smaller furniture in the room is in toddler size and will later on be exchanged for larger pieces. Ceiling lights in shape of inflated balloons add an interesting touch and invite users to pull the string to turn them on and off.
photos: Anže Vrabl from Aluna Weddings, home decor: Lesnina
special thanks goes to Elementare for all of the support, Uva for the custom textiles and Pohištvo Jurles for the bespoke carpentry.
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