Swiss design company Big Game have been commissioned by architect Guillaume Burri to create a series of built-in furniture in order to optimize the space in two renovated rental apartments. Made in strong grain plywood, these modules bring some warmth and personality to the white walled and waxed concrete floored apartments. They are functional units that serve very specific purposes. the starting point of the project seems to be, for both apartments, the staircase. Although made-to-measure, the staircase units look like prefabricated modules that have been simply adapted to the space. This feeling is created mainly by the fact that everything is plywood, from the steps to the walls to the balustrades to the built-in storage space. In one case, the staircase unit is seamlessly continued with the kitchen block that features plywood cabinets and back-splash. In both apartments, the space underneath the stairs is geometrically divided into storage cube units. In the rooms upstairs the units are different from one apartment to the other. In one of the apartments there is low unit consisting of a built-in desk and storage cubes that face a plywood-framed interior window, looking down on the living room and bringing some of its light back into the work space. In the other apartment, the module is made of desk, storage and wardrobe, continuing with a door frame.
Because the kitchen looks quite “busy” due to the wood grain, all other elements are kept to a minimum. There are no apparent knobs or handles, and the work top is thin and discreet in colder stainless steel.
Ideal for a child or teenager’s room, this module concentrates all functional elements, including the door, on the same wall, freeing-up the rest of the room.
This home-office structure takes the whole bottom length of the wall, in a more minimalistic approach. The desk itself overlooks the living room through a built-in window. There is a enough storage and filing space to satisfy somebody working from home.
The big plywood surfaces bring in some warmth to the very neutral spaces, that would otherwise look very cold and unwelcoming with white walls and grey concrete floors.
