The flat was, from technical perspective, in highly neglected condition when we found it, as it has been used as "Airbnb” for some time. The floor-plan was no longer original, but we knew that the basis was solid. A robust reinforced concrete skeleton and finned ceiling were not recognisable yet, covered beneath multiples of built-in wardrobes, drywall ceiling overlays and floor covers.
Our key requirement was to have at least three bedrooms but we always dreamt of a spacious, open plan living space where we can have breakfast, where we can watch movies, draw some new designs, play with our children, and ultimately, just have good old quality time with the whole family. Second bathroom would be a contributing “nice to have” to the ideal state. It is to be noted that in the original floorplan there was an enclosed glass balcony but hidden behind a wall and in a wrong place – something to be dealt with as well.
To keep our floorplan as functional as possible, the bedrooms space was kept to the minimum needed, keeping the key focus of our design on generous living space, as it is there where we spend most of our time anyways. We managed to hide the noisy washing machine and the boiler in the bathrooms as well, minimising the interreference with so much sought after calm living space. The finned ceiling is something we felt in love with and hence it is the first thing you see when you enter – giving our flat that special touch. The focus of the living space is centred around kitchen island, seating area and dinning table, the built-in shelves create a natural corridor leading to this central point of the main living space.
The kitchen has built-in shelves and cupboards creating a comprehensive section to be complemented with lean kitchen island.
On the other side of the room, the breaks between the bedrooms are filled with bookshelves with aim to use the space well, the entrances to the individual bedrooms also create nice natural divisions into this library section.
Combination of original concrete, recognising the heritage of the whole building, complemented by the neutral wooden flooring, warmth of the walls with exposed bricks and soft fabric curtains all along with the original concrete pillars was what we considered essential for our design. Choice of the complementing tiles and joinery was a natural evolution during our journey of making the place perfect for our family.
Material Used:
1. Flooring: custom wooden floor
2. Interior lighting: Artemide, Osmont, VERTIGO BIRD
3. Interior furniture: custom furniture MDF / Huliman stolárstvo, ready made / JAVORINA
4. Tiles: Winckelmans, Pitoreska
