This apartment, located in an old industrial bakery in London, has been ingeniously reconfigured by Russian for Fish Architects in order to suit the lifestyle of a young, dynamic couple. The initial layout of the apartment consisted of open kitchen, dining and living area on the ground, with the bathroom as the only closed space; the bedroom consisted of a raised sleeping platform. Because the only source of natural light was at the front of the apartment, the kitchen and living area were initially installed here. By inserting a big window in the east wall of the apartment, the new layout allowed for the kitchen to be moved towards the back and make room for a sizable bedroom at the front. The bedroom is separated from the living area by large folding doors, which allow the space to close for privacy or to remain open in order to increase sensation of space and volume. The bigger existing bathroom was practically divided into two parts. One side has been transformed into an en-suite bathroom, which remains private to the owners and is accessible from their bedroom. A smaller part has been transformed into a guest toilet, accessible from the kitchen area. In the new configuration, the mezzanine accommodates a private work station. The strongest visual element of this small apartment is the black and white checker floor that runs uninterrupted from kitchen to bedroom and gives personality to the space. The rest of the decoration follows in a modern-vintage style, on the white background of the walls.
The checker floor gives dynamism to the space and the walls and stairs going up to the mezzanine are kept immaculate white in order to give luminosity to the whole.
Thanks to the creation of a window in the east wall, the natural light can now cross through. When the folding doors of the bedroom are wide open, the space is literally flooded with light.
The kitchen and dining area are furnished with new vintage pieces. The structures in wood and metal are light and airy, in order not to take to much space in this narrow apartment.
The Smeg freestanding fridge is a must in any contemporary-vintage kitchen!
The living area is furnished with real vintage teak pieces, in the Danish style of the ’50s.
