Organize rooms with a secret library

Organize rooms with a secret library

by | Nov 14, 2019 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, LIVING AREA, LIVING THE HOUSE, PRIVATE APARTMENT

Organize the room can be a difficult task, especially if this room is small and not very functional, but often the solution is just around the corner: in this case, around a corner library which hosts a secret door. THE PROBLEM ANALYSIS THE PROJECT PROPOSAL COLOURS, SHAPES AND MATERIALS THE ADVICE  

THE PROBLEM ANALYSIS

Living in big cities often means to interacts with the lack of space and environments with small dimensions. In those contexts, the functionality it’s an indispensable design element: It allows us to take the most advantage from each room without sacrificing comfort and aesthetic values, while at the same time it solves important problems. The functionality is not just the added value to our interiors, but first at all a stylistic key. A proof of that is this Milan’s apartment. The entrance overlooks a comfortable and contemporary living room characterized by light colours of walls and furniture which create a contrast with an elegant wooden dark floor with which it harmoniously communicates. The design challenge provide for two mainly solutions: on one hand the lack of a real library, which can easily become a characterized element of the room showing at the same time small design object and souvenir able to describe the personality of its inhabitants. On the other hand, the need of hide the bath entrance which is more intimate and private, whose door faces directly in the living room, in a contact view with the entrance hall.  

THE PROJECT PROPOSAL

The design solution manages to solve both problems in a single functional element: a wall unit able to provide display support for books and small objects and, at the same time, combines the real bathroom’s door. A dynamic bookcase that reflects the intentionally asymmetric layout in both corner elements. Taking advantage from the corner position, in fact, the two different components of the bookcase are organized as autonomous elements whose shelves could easily become the stylistic line enable to give rhythm and harmony.  This, defines the internal recess of the library which allows the management of exposed elements as a costumed setting, a sort of display windows of the inhabitants’ personalities. The entrance to the bathroom takes place with complete discretion, as a sort of a real “secret passage”, activated by pressing. In particular, the door consists of a fixed narrower shutter, even equipped in the bathroom’s ambient, and a main shutter that in its external side has a considerably bigger thickness than the traditional in order to accommodate books and small objects.  

COLOURS, SHAPES AND MATERIALS

The contemporary imprint is visible both in the graphic layout of the library, which combines full and empty space in perfectly harmony as in a typographic composition, but above all for the material and chromatic choice. In particular, a white opaque lacquered MDF was chosen to create the partition wall. This because it allows a better versatility clearly visible for example, in the different thickness with which were made the numerous internal shelves. The 9010 white recalls the dining’s wall and the contemporary furniture, inserting itself without intrusiveness in the room but at the same time managing to define the stylistic print.  

THE ADVICE

No problems had to remains unsolved! Sometimes a furniture element becomes the custom-made solution able to solve in the best way different problems, as it can be the lack of space or the need to divide rooms.

The wall units perfectly combine elegancy and functionality and can also contain hidden mechanism to take the most advantage from its practicality. A mechanism that can also be fun! Divide the rooms has never been so easy, a library with a secret door it’s enough.

 
corner secret library
open door corner library
closed door corner library

High altitude renovation of a traditional two-room apartment

High altitude renovation of a traditional two-room apartment

by | Aug 21, 2019 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, KITCHEN, LIVING AREA, PRIVATE APARTMENT, SLEEPING AREA

In the context of Bergamo mountains, a small two-room apartment renovated to improve its functionality, whose contemporary style well balances with traditional furnishing.

THE CONTEXT THE INTERVENTION KITCHEN AND LIVING AREA BATHROOM THE MATERIAL AND CHROMATIC CHOICE

THE CONTEXT

Style never goes on vacation! Or yes maybe, and in this case, it goes on mountain! Lodges and small wooden apartments always have their charm, bringing a sense of hospitality with their warm and natural colours. Inspired from the surrounding landscapes, the interiors are often characterised by the abundance of wood, used both in furniture and in the finishes of floors and ceilings. A perfect example is this two-room apartment in Lizzola, designed in the eighties style which the entire village has maintained the strong stylistic mark. In fact, is exactly in that period that the small residential area experienced its best time. The main roads were swarmed by tourists and surroundings’ valleys inhabitants who reached the area for an out-of-town weekend or entire weeks of vacation. An undisputed choice between the mountains’ resort. Set up as the typical “mountain house” the Lizzola’s two-room apartment needed a renovation, in order to make it contemporary in style and at the same time more functionally, without deleting the traditional imprint which is characterized by and makes it welcoming and typical.  

THE INTERVENTION

The design choice has been that of preserve the stylistic element and the furnishing which best represent the atmosphere of the two-room apartment. Concerning the new elements designed, the deliberately choice is a slightly invasive solution that can fit harmoniously into the existing context. From this perspective, the cherry-wooden garret was preserved from its original environment, even taking the main role in the stylistic definition of the room. As a consequence, the cherry wood parquet has stolen the stylistic characteristic of the ceiling, adjusted to the renovation of electrical and heating system. The renovation involved the entire apartment, going to specially attend the kitchen and bathroom interiors.

KITCHEN AND LIVING AREA

Reduced in size, the kitchen of the two-room apartment in mountains, has an essential but extremely functional setting. Being a residence designed for shorter stays the kitchen occupies a small part of the environment, without giving its contemporaneity and practicality away. There’s no lack of necessary appliances: starting from the small-seized induction hob, passing through the combined oven with microwave and refrigerator with freezer compartment. The extraction fan is instead the kitchen cabinets’ excess, used as a pantry for food and dishes. Concerning the dining table, the wooden chairs with traditional and soft profiles fit well into the room, reason why it’s been preserved. On the other hand, a support surface was combined with folding leg has been supplied in order to provide an additional support space and, at the same time, to become extremely practical for close and move the furniture. Functionality is the main element considered to the living room design, allowing to take the best advantage from the sofa-beds there and to customize and rearrange the space as needed. The original suspension lamps now become protagonists of the dining room by introducing a chromatic contrast with the black outer finish of the cap. The living room furniture with its contemporary style houses the free-standing TV and becomes a containing element both for kitchen, by its proximity, and for other objects of the entire apartment.

BATHROOM

The bathroom intervention has also provided its expansion, thus managing to house all the container elements inside and equip it with a washing machine compartment. It is probably in this room that the contemporary style is most visible, starting from the extremely elegant and clear in the stylistic lines of the glass shower, moving to the semi-recessed sink with an oval shape and rounded profiles and ending with the choice of the covering tiles for the shower interior with its bright and fresh colours, which remain in perfect harmony with the surrounding neutral tones. The cabinet with large storage drawers also includes the possibility of a built-in washing-machine. The plywood top refers itself to those of the kitchen and table, becoming a stylistic element in continuity with all rooms.  

THE MATERIAL AND CHROMATIC CHOICE

As already seen, it is certainly the plywood that defines the material mark of the whole two-room apartment. An economic material, also young and dynamic, but at the same time that can be easily fit into traditional interiors. Its main feature is its structure, which is visible in the edge of the tops, becoming the stylistic signature of the project, emphasizing the geometric lines of furniture with a recognizable touch. The balance between the orange tones of cherry wood and the white of plywood creates internal divisions able to give rhythm at the room. The internal subdivisions underlined by the change of flooring, which from the most intimate and comfortable rooms of bedroom and living room are changed into uniform surfaces with gray stoneware for better practicality. Being more wear-resistant and easier to clean, the stoneware has in fact been chosen for the kitchen and bathroom where they elegantly relate to the white of contemporary style. In conclusion, a renovation that takes origin from the traditional setting of the two-room apartment, without turning its featured upside-down but instead adding contemporary elements that give freshness.

The verticality as a design element of an apartment

The verticality as a design element of an apartment

by | Feb 12, 2019 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, LIVING AREA, PRIVATE APARTMENT

Knowing how to relate to room with high ceilings means being able to transform verticality into a design element without renouncing the correct perception of the internal environments.

 

THE CONTEXT THE CONCEPT MIRROR DIVIDER FULL HEIGHT LIBRARY CLOSING DOORS OF CORRIDORS

 

THE CONTEXT

America is the continent of endless distance, large dimensions and a taste for excess. The American taste is an eclectic panorama, in which each piece of furniture plays a fundamental role in defining the general character. A peculiar feature between the overseas apartments and some ancient interiors of the old continent is the use of very high ceilings that give a sense of greater openness to the interiors. Sometimes, however, they risk becoming disturbing elements in the perception of the room. The furnishing elements risk being undersized or de-contextualized due to the lack of a correctly perceived upper limit. For this reason, identifying the main characteristics of the apartment to enhance its decisive features is the starting point for good project.  

THE CONCEPT

The design line takes origin from the setting of the apartment itself, focused on a contemporary style in which the chromatic contrasts creates elegant visual lines. Verticality is certainly the key-element of the project as it is a critical point for the internal perception of the environments which can however become the characterizing design line if it is interpreted with the right elegance. It is exactly on the design element of verticality that the architectural studio with which we collaborate has set up the three interventions within this apartment in New York which we have handle the production: the divider with mirrored elements, the full-height bookcase and the closing doors of the corridor.

mirror verticality divider

MIRROR DIVIDER

Taking advantage of the play of reflections obtained by the mirrors, the divider has a double function of increasing the perception of space and dematerializing its borders. It is the graphic line that underlines its vertical setting, which is visible both in the black iron edge that defines each modular element, and in the lesser width of the mirrors of which it is composed. This difference in width creates an additional vertical division able to give greater dynamism. The alternation of full and empty, light and dark, lights and shadows, defines a design vision strongly focused on rhythmicity, obtained by the alternation of vertical elements.

 
full-height black library

FULL HEIGHT LIBRARY

The geometric rigor defined by marked black profiles also returns to the element of the library, with which the mirror divider fits in well. Taking advantage of all the available height, the vertical tie-rods become the most visible graphic lines, which naturally seem to flow into the false ceiling. The horizontal dividing elements are attached to these responding to a rigorous and geometric approach. To visually compensate of the alternation between full and empty spaces of the upper part, there are three container volumes placed in the lower band which act as structural and above all, as a perceptive base for the library. The matt black laminate ensures the game of chromatic contrast with the white back wall that characterizes contemporary interiors.

 
doors hight 3 m

CLOSING DOORS OF THE CORRIDOR

Verticality interpreted as a design element has also become the solution of the closing doors of the corridor. Going beyond the standard dimensions of the doors represents a considerable technical challenge, the solution of which must necessarily be able to respond to functional rather than aesthetic needs. Having included doors with a total height of 3 meters, we wanted to completely test our technical knowledge, obtaining excellent results. The textured white lacquered doors seem to be a natural component of the back wall, from which they elegantly detach, also thanks to the play of lights and shadows created in the internal slot. The sliding rails are integrated in the profiles of the false ceiling, allowing a detachment from the ground both functional, to avoid the contrast with the carpets present, and aesthetic, to visually unburden the weight of the door. The contrast between black and white colours is elegantly reproduced in the choice of rugs that refers to the setting of the living room and in the presence of an exhibition element with an essential profile in the back wall.

An interior between soft pink, white and gray

An interior between soft pink, white and gray

by | Dec 17, 2018 | LIVING AREA, PRIVATE APARTMENT, SLEEPING AREA, STYLE TIPS

A warm and welcoming interior characterized by soft pink shades, capable of warming hearts of those who live there. Containing elements that divide the spaces match to these.

entrance hall pink and white with divider

CONCEPT

For the project we worked mainly on the very large and square-cut living room, which represents the most airy and used room in this apartment of a young family. We divided it into zones, a total of four, by identifying the activities that should have been carried out there. The first, at the entrance, is dedicated to the hospitality, with a two faces furniture: on one side, a pocket tray and shelves, for keys and objects to be placed as soon as you arrive home and on the other, a coat rack, for the coats and shoes of the family and guests. The second zone is reserved at the symbolic play of the childrens and their intimate reading moment. The third one is intended for the mother, as a work area. A retractable desk combined with storage elements on the side that can be used to serve the kitchen. The fourth, last but not least, is dedicated to relaxation. A large central island sofa that is illuminated by external light and frontally a cabinet with retractable TV and storage compartments. The need was also to have open libraries available in which to dispose of the wide range of family books and also storage spaces where to put games, but also everyday objects. For this reason, we have created a corridor at the entrance that screens the activities of the living area and welcomes the visitor and directs him to the other areas of the house.

living room pink and gray
living room pink and gray 02

COLORS AND MATERIALS

The main color chosen for the walls of the entire apartment is a soft pink, matches with walls of a slightly more decisive antique pink. Become fashionable once again, it is associated with positivity and the ability to drive away negative thoughts, from a symbolic point of view. In combination with it, for the furnishings of the living area, very modern elements have been chosen, with hidden recessed handles and push compartments. The shades of white with some soft gray inserts perfectly fit with pink illuminating the environment and making it timelessly elegant. In the master bedroom, on the other hand, the wardrobes facing the bed that go to the ceiling are soft pink like the rest of the walls and seem to disappear in the general environment; only the bedside tables with their strongest pink focus attention.

forniture living room
forniture living room close
forniture living room open
living room pink white gray

High ceilings and contemporary boiserie in a Ligurian apartment

High ceilings and contemporary boiserie in a Ligurian apartment

by | Jun 26, 2018 | IN THE WORLD OF DESIGN, KITCHEN, LIVING AREA, PRIVATE APARTMENT, SLEEPING AREA

The interiors of the past were characterized by the presence of high ceilings, which in a contemporary perspective risk making houses disproportionate in the perception of spaces.

A possible solution can be to introduce a counter-wall capable of keeping the original structure intact but revolutionizing the interior spaces by providing them with a new height.

 

THE CONTEXT
THE INTERVENTION
LIVING ROOM AND KITCHEN
BEDROOM
BATHROOM
COLOURS AND MATERIALS

 

THE CONTEXT

Liguria is the sea with high, rocky and jagged coasts, but also the region with ancient culinary traditions and small towns close to the hills.

Characterized by small historical cities, it responds to a still traditional setting with houses often placed against each other and narrow passages to take the most advantage from the spaces.

For this reason, most of the interiors are currently dated and difficult to expand.

As in most old houses, the ceilings are very high and can modify the perception of the spaces.

Characteristic spreads throughout Italy, whose solutions can vary considerably depending on the context. Sometimes taking advantage of verticality can be the design choice capable of characterizing the project, as in the case of this New York Apartment

However, in case of small spaces, the already very high ceilings are further accentuated by the planimetric dimensions of the interiors.

dining room high ceiling

THE INTERVENTION

The design project aims to restore the right eight to each room, while giving a fresh and contemporary look. Working on the internal heights was possible through the use of a wall covering, a boiserie whose height of 240cm re-establishes the usual proportion of the rooms, allowing in the same time, to keep the original structure intact.

It is exactly on this fundamental feature that the renovation of apartment is based: building a sort of exoskeleton able to maintain the original ceilings and making it equipped where necessary. At the same time, it creates an internal setting that respond to the customer’s needs.

The intervention involved all the rooms of the apartment, of which however the kitchen and the bathroom were affected in a reduced way because they preserve original in the internal height.

wooden kitchen countertop
living room high ceiling recess glass shwcase
kitchen countertop wood
wood dining table high ceiling
high ceiling false ceiling closed
high ceiling false ceiling open

LIVING ROOM AND KITCHEN

Starting from the entrance, the new compact structure of boiserie encloses the false ceiling with zenithal lighting.

The difference between the original and the reconstructed height is still accessible and serves as a storage element. In doing so, it’s takes the most advantage from the existing space, providing greater functionality.

The living room was instead equipped with a niche used as laundry room, flanked by a small glass showcase embedded in the double wall.

Turning instead to the kitchen room, it is the shaped laminated wood with light colours that gives a touch of freshness and modernity, recalling the chromatic shade of wood used for the dining table. Wall and storage unites fill the remaining gaps by taking the most of every corner of the small apartment, without making it oppressive.

wardrobe open bedroom
bedroom boiserie
bedroom boiserie high ceiling

BEDROOM

The use of the full-height boiserie allows the bedroom to better hide the service wardrobes.

Organized along two corner walls, they consist of niches with multiple functions capable of containing drawers, hangers and shelves at different height. In the same way, the television is also included in a special custom-made niche.

The extreme functionality of the corner wardrobe becomes an extremely stylistic clean and contemporary element in this design system. Added to this, the backlit false ceiling is able to provide diffused and elegant lighting.

In order to give greater dynamism and personality to the boiserie, horizontal cuts were inserted to create an innovate stylistic linearity. It is also possible to equip these horizontal cuts with possible supports, to make the bedroom even more functional.

sink design Ligurian apartment
bathroom high ceiling
furniture bathroom drawers

BATHROOM

Evoking the use of laminated wood that characterizes the kitchen countertop and the display elements of the living room near the dining table. Even the bathroom is characterized by a contemporary and extremely fresh stylistic element. The storage units host a niche for the washing machine and a chest of drawers with marked edge that perfectly fits with neutral tones of the room.

COLOURS AND MATERIALS

Concerning the chromatic and material choice, we opted for a project in continuity between different rooms. The textured laminated wood was chosen for both the walls and furnishing elements, whose texture recalling that of the fabrics, gives greater domesticity and softness to the interiors. A contemporary aspect that can also be found in the neutral shades adopted: two different shades of gray which create a very elegant internal movement.

Finally, the introduction of laminated wood in the living room and in the bathroom gives a decisive touch able to make the environment younger. It is exactly in these two rooms that the high ceilings have been maintained.

dining table and glass showcase

A kitchen entirely steel covered

A kitchen entirely steel covered

by | May 18, 2018 | KITCHEN, LIVING THE HOUSE, PRIVATE APARTMENT, WORK IN PROGRESS

A kitchen completely covered in steel but with a soul to discover.

STRUCTURE

Sometimes when in front of our eyes there is a piece of furniture entirely covered with a material, it is assumed that that external material is the only one used in its composition, it is not easy to thought that behind that facade there may be a skeleton of a different material that creates its structure and defines its entity. Here we want to show you how we have created a kitchen completely covered in stainless steel destined to a client in Boston.

CONSTRUCTION STEP

First point, the internal modular structure: in the central part, the elements of  sink, dishwasher, hob and all our storage elements. In the upper part the wall units and on the side the columns hosting other storage elements and appliances, such as ovens and a refrigerator. For some elements, a back is not necessary, as in the case of the refrigerating column, because the element will be perfectly inserted inside and it will have access to the electrical outlets on the walls.

kitchen steel assembly step 01
front view lab phase

Then the bases, the rear elements and the doors are made. The whole structure is made of wood and, once assembled, with precise millimeter drawings, all the covers of the various elements are made of very thin stainless steel sheets. these will completely cover, without weighing down, our skeleton. Here are some pictures of the kitchen ready to be dismantled and shipped overseas. On each steel element is visible a protective film in order to preserve its surface from scratches and accidental impacts.

 
stell kitchen with protective film
assembly test lab phase

And here are the latest images of our kitchen assembled on site, in a general view and in a more specific detailed one, which highlights how, in the upper part, our structure perfectly follows the exposed beams of the ceiling. The recessed handles that characterize the entire kitchen are also clearly visible.

steel kitchen on place
covering details

CONCLUSIONS

To conclude, never take anything for granted! Behind every realization there is a great job that concerns multiple aspects. From the management of impeccably precise executive measures, to the creation of complex structures that support and enhance the materials used in the final result.