We present the project "Apartment in the Center" by Małgorzata Górska-Niwińskaof MGN studio.
The beginnings of this project were not easy, as the investors live permanently in the United States, but for the investor, of Polish descent, this place was to be an oasis, a place to return to their roots. The investors visit Poland at least once a year, and perhaps one day they will settle here permanently. Initially, all arrangements were made by e-mail and telephone. It was not until a meeting with the client in Warsaw that all the details were settled. The Warsaw apartment was to be, above all, functional, comfortable and modern. In addition, the clients were not limited by either time or budget.
On the designed area of 114 m², according to the developer's assumptions, there was to be a living room with a kitchen, a small dressing room, a bathroom and a toilet. The investors were particularly keen on an additional two bedrooms and finding space for closets or storage space. By limiting the open space, the designer found room for two functional bedrooms. Looking for additional storage space, the architect tried to hide the closets, while at other times maximizing the exposure of unconventional fronts, such as the original graphics visible on the furniture in the toilet. Thanks to the modern method of pressing the surface, it was possible to achieve a kind of texture that looks much more interesting than wallpaper or textured plaster.
View of the dining room from the kitchen side
photo. © Yassen Hristov/ Hompics
The interior of the apartment is dominated by stone, which is a favorite material of investors. It is present both in the bathroom, toilet, living room or granite countertop in the kitchen. A slab of Brazilian Copacabana granite, which was installed in the shower area, makes an incredible impression.
"The granite pattern is beautiful, and it's what organizes the rest of the interior, drawing the attention of everyone who enters the bathroom," - says Malgorzata Gorska-Nivinska.
There are quite a few transparent materials in the apartment, from the large glass table to the iridescent dark glass display cabinets in the living room, which are styled to match the graphite fronts of the kitchen cabinetry. Incredibly impressive are the Eichholtz chandeliers in the living room, which hang like strings of crystals. The area of the apartment is enlarged by mirrors. They are practically all over the apartment, in a small bedroom they organize the space and optically enlarge the room. In the lobby, a huge mirror in a black frame perfectly matches the light gray walls. Mirrors are also found in the bathroom, where geometrically juxtaposed with the sinks they bring harmony to the interior.
Stone reigns supreme in the toilet and bathroom
photo. © Yassen Hristov/ Hompics
The entire color scheme of the apartment is in gray, but in order not to be monotonous, Malgorzata Gorska-Nivinskasuggested different shades of this color from light gray walls, through darker leather upholstery, to graphite kitchen cabinets finished in high gloss.
"The investors dreamed of a modern space - light, fresh, trendy. So gray was a universal solution. Sometimes, however, I feel overexposed to this popular and ubiquitous color. I wanted at least a little escape to other areas - maybe that's why I depended on the play of different shades and textures. I introduced elements of flash and matte, as well as transparency and iridescent threads into the interiors," the designer stresses.
bedroom
photo. © Yassen Hristov/ Hompics
Smart solutions such as illuminated handles with sensors responding to movement in the kitchen, skirted lighting directing to the toilet at night, were used throughout the interior. The apartment uses innovative types of lighting - local, spot, in the form of ceiling led strips, but also stylish lamps or original chandeliers.
The clients' openness to original solutions, mutual trust, and an unorthodox approach to design resulted in a design that was ideal for the Investors, and a German Design Award for Małgorzata Górska-Niwińska.
