Industrial Influence Abound In Urban Masculine Apartment By Nordes
These days, vintage gear and true patina are all the rage in modern design, and industrial interiors are in. However, even the classification of “vintage” doesn’t begin to describe the atmosphere of this bachelor’s apartment, designed by Bielorussian flat masters Nordes. While the word typically is applied to objects and spaces with elegant, nostalgic charm, in this case it represents a much more urban image. Throughout this space, set in a repurposed industrial building suitable for the task, you’ll find gritty style, street art, and factory mechanisms adapted for home use. It’s a very masculine, imposing apartment, filled to the brim with carefully calculated, aged furniture and fittings.
Each section of the apartment has its own unique spin on industrial chic, but the unifying theme is untreated, exposed surfaces. The living room has weathered fabrics which go well with the exposed brick of the walls and piping for the building. The kitchen is full of aged metal and stone surfaces, but is kept clean for food preparation and consumption. The entryway corner has exposed plywood, hinting at an unfinished theme. In the bathroom, concrete walls are accented by stainless steel appliances. It all blends together into a complete apartment perfect for an active young man.
The high-definition television, one of the only truly modern pieces in the apartment, is chosen for its not-too-glossy black finish, keeping what could be an eyesore nearly invisible. To further distract attention from the modern electronics, the TV sits on a bright yellow cabinet, one of the brightest pieces in the home.
This corner of the apartment best shows the truly industrial roots of the space. It’s not only a design on the interior, but is a theme that extends to the entire building. The pivot windows and exposed pipe of the living room show the roots of the apartment building, with decidedly bleak charm.
All the colors in the living room are subdued, without any true neon colors. The couch exhibits a number of earth tones, as well as a British motif and a number of stylish images and witty, adult phrases.
The kitchen’s most eye-catching feature is a folding hide for the sink and counter, which when open creates a horizontal line three quarters of the way to the ceiling to help visually widen the space.
The kitchen table is representative of the apartment’s design as a whole. It’s weathered and industrial, but in a very calculated and clean manner.
Many areas of the apartment include stenciled or painted street art, including this plywood side wall in the kitchen. The graffiti is one of the chief elements contributing to the toughness of the space’s image.
Note the strange addition of the word “skype” to the vintage telephone unit on the right.
The most controversial design choice in the apartment is doubtlessly the plywood finish on the entrance corner of the apartment. It suggests the unfinished style more than any other element in the home, but may seem tacky to some.
