Apartment Archives

Marble bathrooms feature in Malin + Goetz founders’ apartment

New York studio Messana O’Rorke has extended its collaboration with skincare brand Malin + Goetz by designing an apartment for its founders on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where special attention was paid to the bathrooms.

After creating store interiors for the brand across the US for several years, Messana O’Rorke turned its attention to a space for co-founders Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz to live in.

Living room — Messana O’Rorke renovated the apartment in a historic building on West 76th Street

The apartment on West 76th Street was fully renovated for the couple to reflect their passions for beauty and wellness, while embracing the building’s history.

“The space creates a gentle push and pull between the comfort of the past and the vigor of the present – embedded in the architectural details,” said Messana O’Rorke.

Den — A mixture of contemporary and vintage furniture and artworks imbue the spaces with personality

These details include a traditional baseboard that encircles the main living spaces but ends abruptly in the central vestibule, where it is replaced with a quarter-inch (0.6-centimetre) shadow gap between the walls and floor for a more modern look.

Reclaimed oak parquet flooring is laid in a herringbone pattern throughout most of the rooms, providing the air of a European pied-à-terre.

Kitchen — Light materials were used for surfaces in the narrow kitchen

A simplified version of a plaster relief detail – found during the demolition of a dropped ceiling in the bedroom – also wraps the wall and ceiling junctions, suggestive of crown moulding.

While these details all tie the living spaces together, it’s in the bathrooms that Messana O’Rorke has made the most dramatic interventions.

“Given that the homeowners are the founding partners of Malin + Goetz, Messana O’Rorke paid particular attention to the design of the two bathrooms, which reflect the beauty brand’s ethos as a modern apothecary,” said the studio.

Unlacquered brass fixtures and hardware are installed against Carrera marble, which clads the walls, floors and showers to create a “spa-like” feeling.

In one bathroom, mirrors surrounded a window above the sink, where more brass is used to line the recess and forms a trim around the perimeter.

A shower is illuminated from a hidden pocket in the ceiling, giving the illusion that the stone wall is washed with daylight.

The same marble is continued in the narrow kitchen as countertops and backsplash, keeping the space light in tandem with white cabinets and stainless steel appliances.

Furniture is a blend of contemporary and vintage, mixing dark woods with sofas in muted velvet upholstery.

A variety of artworks decorate the living room and den walls, while a large collection of books fills shelves in the office – both providing more colour and personality to the apartment.

“Much like the Malin + Goetz boutiques the firm had previously designed, a single vintage display element subtly offsets the taut architectural envelope; the furnishings and interior appointments bridge the traditional and the modern,” Messana O’Rorke said.

Hallway — Herringbone patterned parquet was laid through the living spaces

The studio was founded in 1996 by Brian Messana and Toby O’Rorke, and has previously renovated an 18th-century home in Upstate New York.

Renovations on the Upper West Side completed by other studios include a residence by Stadt Architecture where existing brickwork walls were paired with walnut floors and a 1920s apartment overhauled with custom millwork by Format Architecture Office.

The photography is by Stephen Kent Johnson.

Reference

Interior Design

Timber joinery “gently cocoons” inhabitants in Gdańsk apartment by ACOS

By Zarkon Group,14/10/2022

Polish studio ACOS has used timber joinery to conceal the functional elements of this apartment in Gdańsk, with the aim of creating a calm and tranquil interior.

Located at the edge of one of the few remaining green spaces in the city’s heavily urbanised historical town centre, Hideaway Home is a family apartment that was designed to make the most of its 70-square-metre footprint.

Wooden dining table and matching chairs in The Hideaway Home, Gdańsk — ACOS has designed the Hideaway Home apartment in Gdańsk

ACOS, which is a collaboration between architect Anna Stojcev and designer Stanisław Młyński, began the project by mapping out the existing space to create the most efficient layout.

“The optimal arrangement was achieved by carefully analysing each square centimetre and redesigning the infrastructure,” the studio said.

“As a result, we’ve managed to unclutter the original layout and benefit from a more generous volume. This resulted in a solution that seems very shy and modest at first but becomes more interactive once one starts to explore its layers.”

TImber-clad kitchen of Gdańsk home interior by ACOS — Routed timber screens conceal the kitchen’s food storage and preparation areas

The apartment is split into “day” and “night” zones. An open-plan living, cooking and dining area occupies one half of the apartment while the bedrooms and bathrooms are located on the other.

ACOS used blocks of timber, stone, concrete and a mineral surfacing called microscreed to define the different spaces, softened by neutral fabrics and brass accents.

View into living room of The Hideaway Home apartment with low timber coffee table and armchair — The entrance to the living room is framed by a timber portal

The joint kitchen and dining area revolves around a large custom-made wooden dining table and a utilitarian concrete trough sink. The space is framed by routed timber screens that completely conceal the food storage and preparation areas.

Eager to combine new technologies and materials with time-honoured crafts, the studio custom-designed furniture pieces such as the dining chairs, which were made using digital 3D modelling and traditional carpentry techniques.

The adjoining living area has a more generous footprint, with its entrance framed by an oakwood portal and a timber window seat running along one of its walls.

The space between the day and night zones, where the apartment’s entrance is located, is finished with veneered panels that support a textile ceiling.

Hallway of Gdańsk apartment by ACOS with timber panelling and fabric ceiling — Textile panels cover the ceiling in the hallway

“The simplicity of details and forms aims to bring back the value of honest design and craftsmanship,” ACOS said.

“Whether it is a large surface of an oak coffee table or textile soffit or curtains – those elements are purely a means to frame the volume gently cocooning the user.”

Full-height timber wardrobe in The Hideaway Home, Gdańsk — Full-height carpentry provides storage in the main bedroom

The bedrooms were conceived as simple and compact volumes, with walls finished in natural lime and marble plaster while the floors and skirting boards are pale timber.

Custom full-height carpentry provides storage in the main bedroom and integrates seamlessly with a timber entrance portal.

The apartment’s main bathroom is finished in white microscreed surfacing paired with custom-made terrazzo slabs.

Bathroom with grey terrazzo panelling in Gdańsk apartment interior by ACOS — The bathroom is accented by custom-made terrazzo slabs

Hideaway Home is among six projects shortlisted in the apartment interior category of this year’s Dezeen Awards.

Also in the running is a renovated Tribeca loft with a half-transparent, half-mirrored wall and a live-work space in London belonging to the founders of environmental communication agency Earthrise Studio.

The photography is by Pion Studio.

Reference

Interior Design

Vibrant glazed tiles divvy up Madrid apartment by Sierra + De La Higuera

By Zarkon Group,05/10/2022

Spanish architecture studio Sierra + De La Higuera has used traditional Moroccan zellige tiles to define the different spaces in this open-plan apartment in Madrid.

Housed in a 1940s building in the city’s bohemian Conde Duque neighbourhood, the apartment belongs to a well-travelled couple that wanted to stamp its Mexican and Galician heritage onto the interior.

Wood-panelled hallway with white armchair in flat by Sierra + De La Higuera — Colourful tiling features throughout the Conde Duque apartment

“Our clients wanted to bring part of their origins to Madrid,” Sierra + De La Higuera told Dezeen. “This project is the outcome of a quest to find colour in Madrid, a characteristic marked by the owners’ journeys and origins.”

The studio was commissioned to carry out a complete refurbishment of the apartment, which included totally changing its layout.

Built-in green sofa in Conde Duque apartment — The apartment is housed in a 1940s building in Madrid

The original plan consisted of a series of rooms laid out along a long windowless hallway. Sierra + De La Higuera removed as many walls as possible to create an open-plan kitchen, dining and living space.

“Historically in Madrid, houses had a lot of rooms and partitions,” the studio told Dezeen.

“But nowadays, we like to live on a more open-plan basis. The main aim of the new layout was to open spaces, eliminate corridors and hallways, and to gain as much natural light as possible.”

Curved, wood-panelled doorway in Conde Duque apartment — A wood-panelled entrance hall separates the living and dining spaces

Two bedrooms – one with a walk-in wardrobe and both with adjoining bathrooms – are located at the north end of the apartment while a bright sitting room wrapped by south-facing terraces sits at the opposite end.

Throughout the apartment, natural timber, terracotta tiles and white walls were used as foils to the zellige tiling, which is distinguished by its imperfect hand-moulded surfaces.

View from wood-panelled room into green-tiled kitchen of Sierra + De La Higuera apartment — Emerald green zellige tiles distinguish the kitchen

The wood-panelled entrance hall with its arched doorways was conceived as a buffer between two different zones. On the one side is the Mexico-influenced kitchen and dining area finished with emerald green tiles.

And on the other side are the living room and the terraces with their bold yellow colour scheme, which were informed by the couple’s travels to Singapore.

“We focused on vivid colours: bright yellows, greens, blues and reds, paired with materials like tiles, ceramics and fine wood,” explained Sierra + De La Higuera.

In the sitting room and the two bathrooms – finished in red and blue respectively – the tiles were used to create decorative striped skirting that frames the different zones.

In some areas, the colours of the tiles are applied to other furnishings to create a cohesive feel, with the green upholstery in the living room echoing the glazed green tiles in the kitchen.

Terrace with yellow-and-white tiles in Conde Duque apartment — Yellow was applied liberally throughout the terraces and in the living room

A large bookshelf that runs around the kitchen, dining and living room area was custom designed for the space by Sierra + De La Higuera.

“This element is very important to the clients, as it holds all the objects they have collected on each of their journeys in addition to all their books,” the studio explained.

Bathroom with red-and-white striped tiles by Sierra + De La Higuera — Tiles were also used to create decorative striped skirting in the bathrooms

In the bedroom, the architects designed custom cabinetry and specified a cloud-grey carpet to create a calm and cosy ambience, which is intended to evoke Galicia.

Other projects that use tiles to delineate rooms include a Barcelona bed and breakfast by Nook Architects that features vibrant blue tiles and cobalt-blue paintwork.

The photography is by German Sáiz.

Reference

Architecture

Plan Architect designs apartment block for nurses with zigzagging facade

By Zarkon Group,16/09/2022

A zigzagging form gives extra privacy to the medical staff living in Thai studio Plan Architect’s nurse dormitory apartment block at Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok.

Comprising 523 rooms, the building, which has been shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2022, is formed of 26 floors with diamond-shaped openings at their centres. Plan Architect designed the apartment block to be a restful home for nurses working in the hospital, which is run by the Thai Red Cross Society.

Balconies arranged in angular formation on facade of white apartment block by Plan Architect for nurses in Bangkok — The Bangkok apartment block was designed as a peaceful residence for nurses at a nearby hospital

“The main aim was to create the most comfortable residence for the nurses at the hospital,” project architect Jittinun Jithpratuck told Dezeen.

In response to the dense arrangement of the city, Plan Architect aimed to design a building that offers the residents plenty of privacy.

White building by Plan Architect with gap between two halves and zigzag facade — The apartments are arranged across 26 floors

“With the dense high-rise buildings in Bangkok, we aimed to provide enough space for each room to have its own privacy without directly facing other buildings and to allow natural ventilation to get through the rooms,” Jithpratuck continued.

To ensure the rooms didn’t directly face the surrounding high rises, the studio gave the apartment block a zigzagging form.

White zigzag facade of building by Plan Architects with brown artificial timber section — Breaks in the white facade highlight sections of artificial timber

On each floor, the apartments are arranged along two corridors separated by a central opening that lets more natural light enter the corridors and facilitates natural ventilation from the floor to the roof.

Most rooms are separated into two parts by a sliding door, with one half acting as the bedroom and the other containing a dining area, pantry and bathroom. The bedrooms are intended to sleep two people, with the beds on opposite sides of the room for privacy.

Balconies placed at an angle extend from each room, forming snaking rows along the structure.

“Since the dormitory is close to other nearby buildings, we designed the balcony to have a slanted angle,” said the studio.

“This avoids a direct sightline to other buildings and allows more sunlight into the area, making it suitable for planting trees and drying clothes.”

Bedroom in Bangkok apartment with two beds on opposite ends of room and views of city — The bedrooms feature two beds placed on opposite ends of the room

Aluminium railing and perforated aluminium sheets provide further privacy and shading on the balconies.

“This facade and balcony composition create the pattern of light and shadow that reflects the simple systematic design of the building while concealing the various lifestyles of the users,” the studio continued.

Aluminium railing and perforated aluminium sheets casting shadows across balcony of Bangkok apartment — Aluminium railing and perforated sheets cast shadows across the balconies

Additional facilities in the block include a library, public dining room, co-working space, and laundry room.

An enclosed courtyard is formed in the space between the apartment block and three of the neighbouring buildings. Separated from the busy hospital, this courtyard offers green space and a peaceful area for relaxation for the nurses.

“The nurses feel it’s a lot better than where they lived before because it can give them privacy even when living with each other, and the natural cross ventilation really works including the zoning in the room that makes it easier to work while the other occupant needs to rest,” the studio said.

Plan Architect’s project has been shortlisted in the housing project category of Dezeen Awards 2022. Other projects shortlisted in the category include a colourful apartment block in Melbourne and a green tower in Amsterdam.

The photography is by Panoramic Studio.

Reference

Architecture

Wavy Balconies With Overhanging Plants Are A Design Feature On This Apartment Building

By Zarkon Group,02/04/2022

A modern building with curved balconies and overhanging plants.

Architecture firm K.A Studio has designed the remodel of an apartment building in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, that included the addition of green space.

In an area filled with concrete and hard lines, this updated apartment building, which is now used for staycations, has been designed as an oasis in the city, with the curved balconies creating a soft edge on the facade.

Overhanging plants cascade down the side of the building, while taller plants add different layers and grow up between the voids created by the balconies.

The underside of the balconies is lined with wood, adding to the natural look of the building.

The underside of these balconies is lined with wood, adding to the natural look of the building.

At night, uplighting creates shadows on the balconies above.

The balconies overlook a pool that’s located on the ground floor and has curves that mimic the exterior of the building.

A curved swimming pool complements the curved balconies above.

Throughout the building materials like woods, local split stones, concrete, terrazzo, and rattan are featured.

The interior of this building features materials like woods, local split stones, concrete, terrazzo, and rattan.

Bright hallways with lighting embedded in the concrete floors, and in the ceiling, guide guests to their private apartments.

Bright hallways with lighting embedded in the concrete floors, and in the ceiling, guides guests to their private apartments.

The apartments are minimal in their design, with simple wood furniture in the living room, and a kitchenette.

A minimalist apartment interior with LED lighting and a small living room.

A minimalist apartment interior with LED lighting, a small living room, and kitchenette.

In the bedroom, a horizontal wood accent above the bed hides LED Lighting, which also complements the lighting on the opposite wall. There’s also a floating wood desk that lines the wall, and a sliding door opens to a balcony.

In this bedroom, a horizontal wood accent above the bed hides LED Lighting, which also complements the lighting on the opposite wall.

Photograph: Hiroyuki Oki | Architects: K.A Studio | Lead Architects: Doan Quoc Khanh | Design team: Dang Anh Khoa, Hoang Anh Dung, Tran Quoc Nhat, Le Duc Duy | Construction: La Maison Du K

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Architecture

Wavy Balconies With Overhanging Plants Are A Design Feature On This Apartment Building

By Zarkon Group,11/03/2022