We move today to Wrocław's Old Town where, in one of the townhouses, the duo of architects from the Kohlrabi studio - Filip Symonowicz and Amelia Symonowicz - combined two apartments. The effect? See for yourself!
From the combination of a studio apartment and an adjacent unit, a 125-square-meter interior was created, reproducing the original layout of the apartments in the building.
apartment plan
© Kohlrabi interior architecture
The spacious interior was divided into a living area with a kitchen and a living room with a dining area, and a zone housing a bedroom with a dressing room, as well as a home office, whose character is added by a slightly rounded bay window.
Photo: Stan Zajączkowski
Curved forms seem to be the leitmotif of the apartment, after all - gentle lines can be seen in almost every space. The most impressive of these is one of the walls (connecting the dining room with the kitchen) - led along a curve and covered with decorative wallpaper, it provides a background for designer furniture and accessories, including a round table in an intense color designed by Alain Gilles or a cult Louis Poulsen lamp.
A splayed wall between the living room and kitchen
photo: Stan Zajączkowski
In the interior, architects from the Wroclaw studio Kohlrabi architektura wnętrz juxtaposed vivid patches of color with white surfaces, allowed individual materials and their textures to resonate, and supplemented the whole with eye-catching accessories (have you noticed a dinosaur wandering from place to place in the photos?).
The wall is covered with graphic wallpaper and a spacious hallway
Photo: Stan Zajączkowski
Amelia Symonovich of Kohlrabi studio talks about the pros and cons of a curved wall and the challenges of combining two apartments
Ola Kloc: What was the investors' priority?
Amelia Symonowicz: The investors approached us because they wanted a completely new space in their apartment. On the one hand, they wanted to adapt the apartment in terms of functionality to their needs, and on the other hand, to give the interior a character in an aesthetic that suited them. Important points were to create a place to work, a space to watch movies and as large a dining room as possible to receive guests. We planned all this within one room - the living room. At the same time, an opportunity arose for the investors to buy a neighboring apartment, which turned the previous arrangement upside down. At this point, within the new apartment, we were able to plan a large living room with a dining room, and the former living room became a home office, also serving as a guest room.
The kitchen is kept in bright colors
Photo: Stan Zajączkowski
Ola: The interior, as you mentioned, was created from the merger of two apartments - what architectural and functional changes did this project require?
Amelia: The biggest challenge was solving plumbing and ventilation problems. Correctly solving the kitchen, bathroom and creating a new toilet room was a real puzzle. At the same time, the apartments were in different structural condition and had different floor and ceiling levels which was an additional challenge.
hallway and kitchen
Photo: Stan Zajączkowski
Ola: The eye is drawn to the slightly splayed wall in the living room, covered with dark wallpaper. A striking, though not very adjustable form - was it a big challenge for you?
Amelia: The curved wall, resulting from the geometry of the staircase, appeared with the new part of the apartment, and we knew right away that it would be a strong point of this space. This unusual shape of the interior added a lot of character and we decided to emphasize it with a graphic wallpaper. The form, although admittedly unadorned, gives a huge advantage in terms of interesting viewing axes. In the end, despite the problems, the functionally well-solved space pleases us doubly.
The rounded wall is a characteristic element of the interior
Photo: Stan Zajączkowski
Ola: The interior is full of various colors and textures, what inspired you in choosing them?
Amelia: The apartment is located in a tenement that has been modified many times. The space we designed was devoid of the architectural details characteristic of tenement houses, while it abounded with a variety of undercuts, riser enclosures and other strange construction trappings from previous years. These interwoven geometric masses inspired us to create a modern interior, in which we wanted to play with planes, colors and forms that referred to the aesthetic the investor had indicated.
The bedroom is decorated with hanging lamps made of rice paper designed by Jaime Hayon
Photo: Stan Zajączkowski
Ola: What are you most pleased with in this project?
Amelia: From two things. The first is the purely construction aspect and what you can't really see. The scale of the renovation due to the condition of the apartments was really huge, and dealing with these problems makes us extremely happy. The second aspect is the confidence on the part of the investors, who welcomed our ideas with openness and are satisfied with the result.
Ola: Thank you for the interview.
