Designer Natalia Mitina knows exactly what she should doto be an apartment for a young and active family: functional, moderately bright and, of course, cozy. How to achieve this? Read in our today's material We all want our home to be more than just a place to spend the night, but also to reflect our individuality and be stylish and modern. The recipe for this cocktail is simpler than it seems: the details will emphasize the character of the owners, the right color accents will bring brightness to the decor, a sense of proportion will protect against gaudiness and make the interior functional. And a real professional will help mix all these ingredients in the right proportions. Today we reveal the secret of creating an ideal home for a modern active family using the example of an almost two-level apartment from the Latvian design studio Koncepcija. Natalia Mitina, architect-designer Head of the Koncepcija studio. Graduated from the Riga Construction College, Department of Architecture and Reconstruction, in 2000. In 2006, she graduated with honors in the specialty "environmental design" from the Baltic-Russian Institute. Member of the Union of Designers of Latvia. Multiple winner of the Union of Designers of Latvia award in the nomination "Project of the Year", participant of the Latvian version of the program "Apartment Question". Works in both private architecture and interiors, and public projects. Experience in the profession - 15 years. koncepcija.lv Clients - a young energetic couple: the husband is in business, the wife is a doctor. They have a little daughter, at the beginning of the work she was six months old. The spouses are very athletic, but their main hobby is kite surfing, so the interior could not help but include references to their hobby. This includes the color of the walls, reminiscent of the sand on the beach, and photographs of sails on the wall, and even palm trees. The clients’ wishes were extremely simple and clear: a modern living space, not overloaded with unnecessary details, no pathos or glamour, practicality.
Since it was a project for a new apartment innew building, there was practically no redevelopment: all the rooms remained in accordance with the original design, except for the door to the dressing room, which migrated from the hallway to the main bedroom. However, the original architecture of the apartment is very interesting, and it was this that largely served as inspiration for Natalia. The fact is that the apartment is essentially one and a half levels, since the floor of the living room is one meter below the main space. Accordingly, the ceiling height exceeds the average, and together with panoramic glazing, this provided room for maneuver.
The center of the composition was the mostan impressive room in the apartment due to the difference in levels and a panoramic window across the entire wall. The work place for the head of the family is also located in this room - this is a special request of the customer, who prefers to be with his family even during work, rather than doing things separately in his office.
The kitchen layout is very well designedTwo main lines fit in: a work area along one wall and an area of tall cabinets with appliances along the other. Their facades are made of painted glass of a rich plum color, and the white work surface and apron are made of Corian. The dining area is located in the center of the kitchen, and it was decided to organize a small bar counter in the opening.
In the master bedroom, the main mood is set byEnglish brand Sanderson, whose motifs are repeated in the stenciled wall painting. This ensemble is the most striking element in a rather calm and minimalist furnished room.
Natalia Mitina, architect-designer:— We wanted to create a neutral background color scheme for the walls and floor, uniform throughout the apartment (except for the bathroom), and in each room to shade it with colored accents, so a similar scheme is used throughout the apartment. Let's talk about . Despite the fact that at the beginning of the work the owners' daughter was only six months old, it was decided not to make a room for a baby. As you know, children grow quickly, so it turned out to be just a bright nursery, which can be decorated in any way using textiles, posters, toys, children's drawings, and so on. In fact, this is a blank canvas, allowing the child to show imagination and express their own individuality from an early age.
The bathroom in this apartment is quite large:its area is 11 square meters. In addition, there is a full-fledged window, and even across the entire wall, which is rare in apartments. At the initial stage of the project, there was a vacant lot outside the window, but while the work was in progress, another residential building was built there. Due to the lack of picturesque landscapes, most of the time the window is covered with a Roman blind, but the effect of sunlight is still there and creates the right mood.
Natalia Mitina, architect-designer:— The flooring throughout the apartment (except for the bathroom) is made of Latvian ash, treated with oil and varnish to achieve a specific light yellow color. We selected this shade through long torment and experiments to get exactly the effect we needed. The doors, kitchen and bathroom furniture are custom-made. The living room and dining room are by Calligaris. The carpet in the living room is by Michaela Schleypen, purchased at Kover Buro. The bedroom is by Misura Emme, except for the dressing table, which is also custom-made. The children's room is by Battistella. The tiles in the bathroom are by FAP. A year and a half passed from the start of work on the project until the customers moved into the apartment. Do you want the same? These 5 simple tips will help you
- The best way to express yourself in the interior is to fit inyour interests and hobbies. However, it is important not to do this too literally and too insistently. Use your imagination: for example, if you love hunting, you don’t necessarily have to hang animal heads and skins in your living room. It’s better to realize your passion in a pair of original antlers on the walls or on the table, massive wooden furniture, like in a hunting lodge, and other “natural” elements.
- If your apartment initially has some kind ofAn unusual architectural solution (a panoramic window, a difference in levels, a room of non-trivial form), do not leave it without attention. Beat out what has already been given to you when building up: emphasize the floor-to-ceiling window, abandoning the blind heavy curtains and not forcing it to be furnished, make a podium for the bed in the bedroom from the second level, etc.
- We advise young parents to think carefullydesign of a children's room. Let it be stylistically neutral: the child will very soon outgrow butterflies, angels or cars, and doing repairs once every 1-2 years is simply not cost-effective. In addition, all children without exception are creative individuals, and they will be grateful to you for the opportunity to express themselves with the help of decor and change the appearance of the room in accordance with their current interests.
- As for the color of the entire apartment, we recommendtake a closer look at the solution in this interior. Monochrome neutral walls throughout the apartment are the best background for bright furniture, textiles and accessories. When choosing the latter, pay attention to deep, unusual and natural colors: plum, cobalt, malachite, blue, etc.
- If plain walls in a calm color scheme are for youtoo simple, decorate them with painting to match the textile color. But there is not always time, opportunity and money to order such a unique decoration. For such cases, there is an excellent budget alternative - vinyl stickers. They are inexpensive, accessible and varied in color, size and pattern. And they are also easy to stick and, most importantly, remove at any time.
