Designer Natalya Mitina knows exactly what she shouldto be an apartment for a young and active family: functional, moderately bright and, of course, cozy. How can this be achieved? Read in our today's article We all want the house to be not just a place to sleep, but also reflect our individuality and be stylish and modern at the same time. The recipe for this cocktail is simpler than it seems: the character of the owners will be emphasized by the details, the correct color accents will bring brightness to the atmosphere, a sense of proportion will save you from being clumsy and will make the interior functional. And a real professional will help to mix all these ingredients in the right proportions. Today we are revealing the secret of creating the 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 Riga Construction College, Department of Architecture and Reconstruction, in 2000. In 2006 she received a red diploma in environmental design at the Baltic-Russian Institute. Member of the Latvian Designers' Union. Multiple laureate of the Latvian Union of Designers prize in the category "Project of the Year", participant in the Latvian version of the "Housing Problem" program. He is engaged in both private architecture and interiors and public projects. Professional experience - 15 years. koncepcija.lv Customers - a young energetic couple: the husband is in business, the wife is a doctor. There is a little daughter, at the time of the start of work she was six months old. The spouses are very athletic, but their main hobby is kite surfing, so references to their hobby could not but appear in the interior. This is the color of the walls, reminiscent of the sand on a sea beach, and photographs of sails on the wall, and even palm trees. The wishes of the customers were extremely simple and clear: a modern, not overloaded with unnecessary details space for life, lack of pathos and glamor, practicality. 
Since it was a project of a new apartment inNew building, the redevelopment was practically not done: all rooms remained in accordance with the original design, except for the door to the dressing room, which moved from the corridor to the main bedroom. However, the original architecture of the apartment is very interesting, and it was in many ways that served as inspiration for Natalia. The fact is that in fact the apartment is a one and a half level, as the floor of the living room is one meter below the main space. Accordingly, the ceiling height exceeds the average, and together with the panoramic glazing this gave room for maneuvers. 
The center of the composition was - the most impressiveroom in the apartment due to the difference in levels and a panoramic window over the entire wall. The workplace for the head of the family is also located in this room - this is the special wish of the customer, who prefers to be with his family even during work, and not to do business separately in his office. 
The layout of the kitchen is very well structuredTwo main lines fit in: a working zone along one wall and a zone of tall cabinets with machinery along the other. Their facades are made of tinted plum-colored glass, and the white working surface and apron are made of corian. The dining area was located in the center of the kitchen, and in the opening it was decided to organize a small bar counter. 
In the master bedroom, the main mood is set bythe British brand Sanderson, the motives of which are repeated in the stenciled mural. This ensemble is the most striking element in a rather calm and minimalist room. 
Natalia Mitina, architect-designer:- We wanted to create a neutral background color scheme for the walls and floor, the same throughout the apartment (except for the bathroom), and in every room to highlight it with colored accents, so a similar scheme is used throughout the apartment. Let's talk about . Despite the fact that at the time of the start of work, the daughter of the owners was only six months old, it was decided not to make a room for the baby. As you know, children grow up quickly, so it turned out to be just a bright nursery that can be decorated as you like using textiles, posters, toys, children's drawings, and so on. In fact, it is a blank canvas that allows the child to show imagination and express their own personality from an early age. 
The bathroom in this apartment is quite large: Its area is 11 square meters. In addition, there is a full window, and even the whole wall, and it is found in flats rarely. At the initial stage of the project, there was a wasteland outside the window, but while work was in progress, another apartment building was built there. Due to the lack of picturesque landscapes, most of the time the window is closed by Roman curtains, but the effect from sunlight still exists and creates the right mood. 
Natalia Mitina, architect-designer:- In the entire apartment (except for the bathroom), the flooring is made of Latvian ash, treated with oil and varnish to achieve a specific light yellow color. We selected this shade through a lot of pain and experimentation in order to get exactly the effect we need. Doors, kitchen and bathroom furniture are custom made. Living and dining room - Calligaris. Living room rug - Michaela Schleypen, purchased from Kover Buro. The bedroom is from Misura Emme, except for the dressing table, it is also made to order. Children's room - Battistella. Bathroom tiles - FAP. A year and a half has passed since the start of work on the project and before the customers entered 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 inIn it their interests and hobbies. However, it is important not to do it too literally and too aggressively. Be creative: for example, if you like hunting, it is not necessary to hang the living room with the heads and skins of animals. Better realize your hobby in a pair of original horns on walls or on a 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.
- Young parents are advised to think carefullyChildren's design. Let it be stylistically neutral: the child will soon grow out of butterflies, angels or machines, and doing repairs every 1-2 years is simply not economical. In addition, all children without exception are creative personalities, 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 whole apartment, we adviseLook at the solution in this interior. Uniform neutral walls throughout the apartment - the best background for bright furniture, textiles and accessories. When choosing the latter, pay attention to the deep, unusual and natural colors: plum, cobalt, malachite, blue, etc.
- If solid walls of calm colors for youToo simple, decorate them with a painting under the color of textiles. But not always there is time, opportunity and means to order such a unique decoration. For such cases, there is an excellent budget alternative - vinyl stickers. They are inexpensive, affordable and diverse in color, size and pattern. And they are easy to paste and, most importantly, remove at any time.
