The pastel and feminine interior of a small Warsaw apartment is a project by Maja Dembowska of Dembowska studio architektury and Katarzyna Jegiello of JAG studio architecture. The requirement set before the architects by the investor was to maximize the use of space and fit into a fairly economical budget. The work was not made easier by the fact that the apartment is located in a rather overblown post-war development....
The blue belt stretches across all the walls of the apartment
© Dembowska architecture studio, JAG architecture studio
The apartment that Maja Dembowska and Katarzyna Jagiełło had to face is located in Warsaw's Muranów district in a post-war development, built from "whatever was at hand." Upon entering the apartment, it turned out that all the walls were very "heterogeneous" and were literally falling apart during the installation of, for example, sockets or curtain rods.
Total rearrangement of the apartment allowed for more space
© Dembowska architecture studio, JAG architecture studio
In addition, the walls between the units were extremely thin - while installing a socket box in the bedroom, the contractors discovered that the wall separating the apartment from the neighbors was only six centimeters thick, which of course resulted in a beautiful hole through and through! Fortunately, after many difficulties, the architects managed to create a cozy, bright interior, full of pastel colors - perfect for the young investor.
The architects decided to combine a separate kitchen with a living room
© Dembowska studio of architecture, JAG studio of architecture
Dobrawa Bies: What were the assumptions and design inspirations? In the interiors, the main theme is pastel colors - blues, pinks and white. Where did this design decision come from?
Maja Dembowska: The complexity was the "enlargement" of the space. Combining a separate kitchen with the living room and in a small bedroom to fit a closet. This was achieved by moving the entrance to the room to a completely different wall and totally rearranging the space.
In addition, the client wanted to brighten up the apartment while smuggling in colors. Hence the decision for pastel shades and a blue stripe up to ninety centimeters high threading through the walls of all the rooms.
The challenge was to fit into a fairly economical budget, hence the combination of customized furniture with products from IKEA
© Dembowska architecture studio, JAG architecture studio
Dobrawa Bies: What requirements did the investor put before you ?
Maja Dembowska: The requirement was to maximize the use of space with maximum storage space. It was also important to fit into a fairly economical budget - hence the combination of made-to-measure furniture (kitchen, bookcase, bathroom built-in, closet in the bedroom and hallway) with products from the popular IKEA. Cooperation with the client was exemplary, so the project went smoothly and according to the original concept.
Dobrawa Bies: Thank you for the interview!
