| The project was circumscribed to the idea of transforming an existing space, situated in an important residential complex in Brașov, with its own flaws: pillars outside the planes of the walls, installation ducts, beams, doors and windows in abundance and randomly placed, into an apartment meant to emanate the intention of a volitive act (where the “necessity” dictated by the structure and the technical services is diluted as much as possible) regarding the fluidity of the spaces, surfaces and materials.
All “accidents” mentioned above were concealed through the intervention with claddings and built-in furniture so as the rooms to be defined in the end by simple rectangular forms, forms which also contribute in highlighting the furniture, the audio-video installation, composed of objects which have by themselves an aesthetic value.
Also with the purpose of obtaining this “clean” neutral background, capable of highlighting the contained objects, we opted for the use of white. At the same time, with the intention of creating a domestic atmosphere, we considered proper the presence of wood on the ceiling of the main spaces (living room, dining room and the access stairway), under the form of glued laminated timber planks, through which we inserted the ceiling lights, and which eliminate the need of ventilation grilles. The wooden ceiling follows the shape of the dual-pitched roof, bringing to it a cursive, flowing appearance, covering the installations and the existing Velux roof windows. Freed by such “accidents”, the ceiling is continued outside the living room under the large cover which shelters the dining space on the terrace, terrace which permits the contemplation of the entire city. Through this gesture, we consider that we managed to create a communion with the living room, so that the exterior dining space becomes an extension of the interior space.
Returning to the mentioned purpose of realizing a highly neutral, simple background, fruitful for the ulterior development of the furnishing: furniture, carpets, paintings, I must remind that the |
elevator door, also because of reasons of psychical comfort, was doubled with a white brick layer, in order to maintain the continuity of the wall which is cladded with the same material. One must mention that brick, with its rich connotations derived from its use as construction material for thousands of years, contributes to the fulfilment of the domestic character of the interior. The coexistence of brick and wood offers an archetypal nuance to the space.
Another aspect which must be reminded refers to the furniture within the room named by the beneficiary “work and living”, where the existence of a desk next to the bed was necessary and we were forced by the multitude of doors and windows to create a sole furniture object destined to synthetize the two. The ethereal separation between the two zones, for study and sleep, is marked by the suspended bookcase which contains in its underside lamps for the desk and for reading.
The bought furniture, of a very high quality, was integrated into the general design in a highly precise manner, with the intention of creating the sensation that it represents a constituent part of it. Thus, the living room sofa was inserted in the heightened podium on which the dining place is situated.
The use of high quality materials: doors with hidden frames on the same plane with the surface of the wall, ceramic tiles of 3x1 meters, wardrobes and furniture made of white glossy MDF or white Corian in the bathrooms, also contributed to the desired essentialization, simplification of the project. This also helped in highlighting the paintings signed by Vladimir Șetran (which spectacularly ennobled the interior), the valuable Persian carpet and the sanitary ware, defined by exceptional design and performance.
Like in other cases, alongside the people who execute, which must be passionate and performant in their activity, I realized once again that the beneficiary in this domain is not only a quality but also a “trade”, one to be implicated in consonance with the architect, consonance which is one of the sine qua non conditions for a success. |
foto: Radu Malasincu
