Architects from the Cracow studio projekt i... are the authors of a monochromatic, small apartment in a tenement. Fifty-two square meters are dominated by black (even some ceilings are black) and white, varied textures, natural materials and handmade accessories. We talk about the design work, quick decisions and the use of black with architect Sylwia Liana.
Living room with kitchen opens to bedroom
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The apartment in a 52-square-meter townhouse is designed for a young couple. It consists of a living room connected to the kitchen, a bedroom with a dressing room, as well as a bathroom and a small hallway. The design premise was to deceive the space - to open up and optically enlarge the interior.
The apartment consists of a living room with a kitchen, a bedroom with a dressing room and a bathroom
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Dobrawa Bies: The design of this apartment is full of contrasts of black and white, raw and natural materials. Even the ceiling in some rooms is black. Was it easy to convince investors to such an unusual project?
Sylwia Liana: You have to come across a good investor. When I say good, I mean open-minded, willing to take a risk and trusting. In this case, the short and deadline also helped. I can't explain why, but there was no time for major discussions. My clients trust me. There are those who give me apartments almost without question. This is such a case.
The spaces are united by a consistent design
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Ok, it wasn't always like that, but I've learned to overcome my fear and suggest the strangest, funny or unusual solutions to clients. We laugh at some and throw out a few ideas, but a big part stays. You have to have time for the customer to firstly come up with something interesting, and secondly to discuss it with him, explain it, redraw it, make another version, often worse, but the customer has to see it. Go through the whole long path to get back to the original design. In theory, a waste of time. Not everyone wants to devote it to the client, I can't work otherwise.
Behind the wall of the bed is hidden closet
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Dobrawa: What were the assumptions and design inspirations? How did the work progress?
Sylwia Liana: Quickly! The apartment is designed for two young people. It is not large, but fortunately high. It was very much closed off, and the height emphasized this even more. I wanted to open it up a bit and optically enlarge it hence the glass doors or mirrors on the wall. The materials are as usual with us, natural if possible. A strong deciding factor in matters of finishes was time. Look at the lamps - there was no possibility that we would order something and wait, and it is known that lamps are a very key element that fills the space above all the creeping up to a height of about one meter, tables chairs, sofas, beds. The lamp fills the void "above". The ones seen in the photos we had to make at our studio.
The apartment is characterized by varied textures
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Dobrawa: The interiors draw attention with interestingly chosen materials, surface textures (slippery, rough, natural), as well as accents in the form of unusual hangers, for example. Where did you draw your inspiration from?
Sylwia Liana: Just like everyone else - from everywhere. When I have a blank in my head I go to the forest. In this project it is quite clearly visible.
Light plays a big role in the project
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Dobrawa: Often people are afraid of black in interiors, claiming that it will optically reduce the rooms. So how do you use it to "not overwhelm"?
Sylwia Liana: I am always surprised by this statement. Black takes away light - that's a fact, but it never, ever diminishes a room! Rather, it creates a hole effect. It's the intermediate colors such as cozy beiges, blues, pinks, etc. that diminish the space and can sometimes be overwhelming, not that I don't like these colors, but in this project I wanted to "stretch" the interior as much as possible, hence the choice. You have to be very vigilant so that when balancing between colors close to black and those a little lighter you don't hurt yourself. A matter of skill. And one should always keep in mind the light. I had it in this apartment, all too much so there was no problem with this solution.
Dobrawa: Thank you for the interview.
Also read about the apartment in the wabi-sabi style also by the studio design and....
