This two storey apartment is located on a trapezoidal site at the juncture of two roads, affording windows on three sides and a long view down the main road. Our brief was to make the spaces better suited for a young, active family of four. Most important to our work was to create an open plan on the living floor. Here we took down all the walls except for those defining the hallway and stair to the bedrooms.

It was important to create a spatial flow through, linking the kitchen, living room, laundry area and hallway. A substantial steel frame structure was introduced to pick up al the loads. Extra care needed to be taken as there was a shop below that was to remain open throughout the work. This was a particular challenge to manage with all the noise and dust created.

Of equal importance to our brief was to define new spatial qualities in a contemporary way with a strong sense of material, colour, texture and light. In doing this, we had the opportunity to work with the interior designer Natasha Hidvegi.