Boasting its prime location, the property’s living area occupies 33m², while the mezzanine floor is only 12m². The main idea of the project was to create a multifunctional space influenced by the Japanese style of living combined with London objectives.
“We intended to make all private zones invisible and add some luxury accents as well as art and contemporary features representing the best feeling of urban life,” commented Art Buro’s Founder, Ivan Gorozhankin.
Japanese philosophy applied to interior design builds upon balance, love for natural beauty and order, which is not necessarily a synonym to minimalism. While hiding the ‘practical’ counterpart of everyday life, the concept highlights the aesthetics of it. A wooden wall is in fact an entrance to the bathroom and the wardrobe; white stairs also feature some storage space and dining area units contain a self-contained kitchenette.
The key furniture pieces of the interior were provided by WRKBNCH, a London-based joinery team. Multifunctional boxes designed for limited spaces feature: a kitchenette from the BOX*K collection (a unit with drawers, shelves, a microwave and a fridge) together with a black unit to install a sink, dishwasher, drawers and a hob, alongside a coffee table from the OWL collection, with a folding top to place a laptop, and a dressing table from the BOX*C collection. The same cabinet could be used as a home office or a TV unit. Switching from one to another only requires a replacement of its internal part.
Commenting on the project, Ivan Gorozhankin explains: “Sylvia, one of the designers for the project, had fallen in love with Japan a long time ago and the way she finds connections between modern needs and the Japanese philosophy of living is something incredible.”
The main reason for implementing the Japanese style was the size of the space. As it is quite reasonable, Art Buro still wanted to archive the different spaces inside the apartment.
“Simplicity was the main request from the client and following it, we decided to use one material in the entrance hall to create a cosy and warm feeling,” commented Ivan.
“The bathroom doors and wardrobe doors are covered with wood, as well as architraves – which helped us to create a type of a background wall, so when you are sitting in the living room and looking towards the kitchen, you don’t have a feeling that the kitchen and dining area is located in the hall.
“The kitchenette, supplied by WRKBNCH, is an amazing solution for smart spaces and we managed to ideally match the wood finishes,” continued Ivan.
As for the living room, Art Buro wanted to make it optically bigger and brighter and that’s why the company used light greyish/concrete colours on the floor and walls. “To create a special atmosphere for the couple we decided to use the following instruments: we added black spots – like the kitchen island and wall lamps – and even paintings as a masculine section,” explained Ivan.
“And, for a feminine side, we added colours such as a duck egg shelf, a pinky mirror and maple bar and coffee table on a Moooi carpet.
“All together it’s working as a complete set, all in harmony,” explained Ivan.
It was quite important for the clients to have the same concept throughout the whole apartment. So, Art Buro tried not to overload the bedroom with overkill colours or items. “We used geometrical patterns, mixing the carpet and pouf to achieve a more vibrant and easy feeling,” commented Ivan. To extend the size of the room visually, Art Buro used a round mirror and installed it close to the staircase, so the clients can see a reflection of the window from the bed – this reflection makes the mirror look like a window itself.
To keep some privacy in the bedroom, Art Buro included a separate wall which included small gaps, so depending on the angle, the clients can either see through or just see the plain wall. Once again, Art Buro used the same type of wood and vertical wooden beams in the bedroom wall, thus increasing the size of the room especially from the living room’s view.
Inside the bedroom, Art Buro used an opposite effect by asking WRKBNCH to manufacture the bespoke bedside tables with the same wooden structure, but with a horizontal pattern to make the room optically look lower and wider. One wall is used as a gallery for the pictures from the client’s collection and managed to fit in between the dressing table. “It’s another amazing creation from WRKBNCH’s team as they designed the box in a way that it can be easily converted into a home office or a TV unit just by replacing some internal parts,” explained Ivan.
Decorative items Art Buro used in this project, such as the Vitra stool, Isamu Noguchi floor lamp, the Butterfly chair by Knoll, the Eero Saarinen dining table and Vitra wire chairs, are the design icons of the project and complete the overall composition. Ivan comments: “The most luxurious items appear to be the Italian Stilnovo design chandelier, the bespoke mirror and the fireplace.
As a common practice in London’s interior design, period features are often left untouched and blend into current refurbishments. In this case, Art Buro decided to follow the tradition, but make it in a modern aesthetic, thus making the fireplace the cosy centre of the apartment.
Art Buro faced a few obstacles during the mezzanine’s design and installation process including planning permission – which the company had to wait for a while to receive approval from the council.
“With the high prices in modern cities like London, New York and Paris, having a huge apartment is a luxurious privilege. So, we were very happy to use our knowledge and make this place really smart and full of light,” concluded Ivan.