The apartment on the top floor of a modern apartment building by the marina has a beautiful view of Gdańsk. Thanks to numerous references to the seaside landscape and the history and traditions of the city, it has become part of the apartment. Magdalena Ignaczak and Jacek Kunca of JM STUDIO ARCHITEktoniczne are responsible for the interior design.
In dialogue with the space
The main goal of the project was to create an interior that is light, bright, not overloaded with excessive ideas and details, but at the same time interesting and embedded in the place where it is located. The investors also wanted to maximize the view outside the windows. When designing the apartment, the architects began by exploring the history of Gdańsk. They visited museums, paged through albums of historical maps and looked at archival photos. As a result, the interior is full of both visible at first glance and subtle references to the past and elements characteristic of Gdańsk. They were inspired by amber, the mix of cultures, such as Dutch influences, the industrial and commercial history of the city, and sailing, among others. Here Magdalena Ignaczak and Jacek Kunca combined historic Gdańsk with marina atmosphere and modernity. On one side, there are amber-colored granite countertops framed by anthracite sinters, on the other, nautical accents. The interior is complemented by maritime impressions inspired by the paintings of William Turner and Marian Mokwa, a well-known mariner from Pomerania. The whole apartment is maintained in the colors of the sea, from white through turquoises and blues to grays and anthracite. All the windows of the apartment overlook the Motława River, even lying in bed, you can enjoy one of the most beautiful views in Gdańsk.
A lot of nautical motifs appear in the interior
Photo: Mariusz Purta Styling: Magdalena Ignaczak
Hallway with history
The wall in the hallway was decorated with a unique wallpaper. It depicts a map from 1822, showing historic, little-known Gdańsk, surrounded by a moat, bastions and gates. On the map you can find the place where the apartment is currently located. The wallpaper and the historical photos adorning another of the walls are not only decorative. They also have an educational value, since not everyone knows that Gdańsk, and especially this place, has changed so much in two hundred years. The rather narrow space has been optically enlarged with the help of a large mirror and an unusual use of colors that slightly inverts the proportions. The ceiling was painted a dark gray color, in contrast to the travertine tiles on the floor. The hallway enclosure also conceals a small utility room.
The hallway was decorated with old photos of Gdańsk and wallpaper with a map of the city
Photo: Mariusz Purta Styling: Magdalena Ignaczak
Gdańsk interior
The living area consists of a living room with a kitchenette. There are as many as four large windows, which provide the aforementioned beautiful view of the panorama of old Gdańsk and make the space full of daylight.
The kitchen is finished with anthracite sintering exposing granite, referring in color and pattern to amber. The annex consists of a minimalist, capacious kitchen unit and an island finished in black oak. This is another inspiration from coastal nature and wood, which turns black after hundreds of years in water. Right next to it stands a table with a top of thick oak planks, supported by black steel legs, and delicate light gray chairs. The whole evokes associations with a harbor, ships and ropes. After dark, the interior is illuminated by a lamp, which is an original composition of the architects. The lamp alludes to the iron loading cranes, still standing on the Motława waterfront today.
The sintering in the kitchen refers to amber
Photo: Mariusz Purta Styling: Magdalena Ignaczak
Materials straight from the sea depths
The lounge area is kept in beach colors. The first fiddle here is played by a spreading corner sofa standing against a wall in a delicate, dim green color. The gray furniture, as well as the anthracite kitchen opposite, optically change the proportions of the elongated space. Interesting elements here are concrete stools resembling mooring bollards and a hemispherical table with a wooden top. One of the many original "finds" of the architects, which waited in a special warehouse until the perfect interior for it was found. The black riveted sheet metal is reminiscent of a ship's hull and the flowerbeds made of barrels that stand in a marina, and as a result, the furniture fits perfectly into the design. The one-of-a-kind piece of furniture is also a console made of wood that has lain in water for many years. Above it hangs a painting by Magdalena Ignaczak, depicting a study of waves. It was created not only specifically for this interior, but already in it. The architect painted the white subpainting attached to the wall on the spot, when the interior was already completed, to make it a perfect complement to it.
The wooden console was created from wood that had been lying in water for many years
Photo: Mariusz Purta Styling: Magdalena Ignaczak
Marine bedrooms
The guest bedroom, gained the name of a marine bedroom due to such design elements as paddles and a steering wheel. Due to its purpose, it was designed in a hotel convention, so that guests arriving for a few days would not lack anything. Thus, there is a bed with a headboard attached to the wall, a table that can serve as a desk or dressing table, depending on the needs, and a "nautical" dresser.
The second bedroom of the owners of the apartment, was called nautical. It is a bit more spacious, maintained in white and blue colors with additions of metallic gray. All the furniture was designed specifically for this interior. A practical closet was hidden behind the closet door. Opposite the bed hangs a second painting by Magdalena Ignaczak, similar to the one in the living room painted in the already finished room.
Bedroom with painting by Magdalena Ignaczak
Photo: Mariusz Purta Styling: Magdalena Ignaczak
Comfortable bathrooms
Straight from the owners' bedroom we enter the private bathroom. The minimalist interior featured subtle references to ships. The floor made of narrow rainslabs is reminiscent of a ship's deck, while the towel racks are made of cleats, elements used on ships to block ropes. The bathroom is comfortable and functional thanks to the provision of a washing toilet, a flat shower tray, a sink integrated into the cabinet, or a lighted and heated mirror.
The guest bathroom is entered from the corridor. It was inspired by the architecture of Gdańsk, including the painted tiles that were very popular here years ago. They were juxtaposed with a light-colored floor and an "oak" bleached wall, hiding functional cabinets.
Private and guest bathroom
Photo: Mariusz Purta Styling: Magdalena Ignaczak
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Compiled by:KATARZYNA SZOSTAK
