Many modern interior designs are very deliberate and planned in their layouts, finishes, and furniture, leading to spaces that, while unified in style, seem completely set. Those types of interiors make it challenging to change things up, and can be frustrating to actually live in. Looking for a different solution to the question of being modern, Swedish interior design company Alvhem created this space, an interior that relies mostly on decor for its style. The space is simple, comfortable, and because of the casual nature of the design it also feel effortless. Instead of coming off as a design-firm product, this apartment feels like a true, personal home with individual touches and flourishes. Due to the underlying simple structure and colors in the apartment, it’s also very easily adapted to evolving styles and personal tastes with a straightforward change in a few pieces of furniture and decor.
The two most striking pieces of this apartment’s interior are the two fireplaces, one in the living room and one in the bedroom, which are draped in a faux column. The columns are detailed enough to be unique and elaborate, but are left with a bit of unfinished charm so as to keep them from being pretentious or ostentatious.
Most of the accents in the home are simple prints and photos, the majority of which are in greyscale tones. Natural light through the building’s large windows keep the space open, dappling the whites of the room with serene shadows and yellow hues.
The sitting and lying furniture of the apartment is all very low-key and focuses on comfort over design, leaving it to tables and rugs to provide the modern accents that give the space a unifying design theme. Throughout the apartment and its deck are well-cushioned chairs complemented by black-and-white flooring accents.
The fireplaces of the home provide naturally-dissipating heat to whichever large room you happen to be in, providing a one-room heating ability that no modern system can provide. While it’s mostly there for style, it also serves a function and can be used to conserve electricity for the eco-conscious homeowner.
The bedroom’s matching fireplace lies just on the other side of a dividing wall from that of the living room, simplifying the scheme for exhaust in the apartment. The two spaces are kept open to each other to enhance the size of the apartment.
As with the living room, the bedroom receives tons of light from its large windows. No matter what changes are made to the furniture and accent pieces, the light will always make the space seem bright and airy.
The bed, as mentioned before, is simple, with its only nod to design being the color scheme which matches the walls. The point of this apartment isn’t to draw attention to any specific pieces or structure within it, but to provide a comfort-bred casual environment.
One of the only directly “intentional”-looking design pieces of the apartment is the bedroom light fixture.
A few of the prints in the apartment involve stylizing the alphabet, bringing different rooms together. In addition, as seen elsewhere, the desk here in the bedroom is not overdone or overly garish. It’s simply, smoothly modern.
This ease of casual design leads the flat to seem more like a livable space than many other design concepts we’ve seen in the past, a place that could be inhabited, not just gawked at.
The kitchen is typically European, with attractively familiar design cues and compact style. The cabinets are unobtrusively sleek, and the table is quietly modern.
Strangely, the deck is actually the most elaborate space in the apartment, replete with many colors not seen indoors.
Signaling the space is united with nature and the outdoors, the deck’s furniture uses significantly more hues than inside. Still, the two spaces are brought together by a rug similar to the one under the living room couch.
A few straightforward design innovations are in use on the deck, like the upturned basket used as a table for flowerpots. The floral deck is perfect for relaxation and reconnecting with nature in the middle of the city.
Alvhem
