Interior Design
In 2013, clients of mine wanted to purchase an apartment abroad but they were hesitant because, while the views were extraordinary, they didn’t know what to do with the space. In effect, the entire living space was one very large room of 144 sq m. which had previously fitted a kitchen, dining area, living room and music room, all in an open space setting. These were the same clients whom I had helped years prior with the Kanaya apartment and they again wanted a closed kitchen, but one in which the view was still a feature. They also wanted an enclosed dining room and a bright, spacious living room, with space to display their artworks. In effect, they wanted me to make the space more intimate, while keeping the main features.
The kitchen itself and all its connections was on the opposite side of the space, which would bring significant complexities if it were to be displaced, and logic would dictate that the dining room be next to it; the dilemma was that by enclosing the space, the view would disappear. The proposal I presented was with the kitchen enclosed on one side towards the inside of the apartment, with a dining room between the living space and the kitchen, but incorporating extra-large sliding doors on both sides of the dining room, placed in such a way that when there was no concern for cooking sounds/scents invading the apartment, there was still a breathtaking view from the entire large kitchen counter.
Based on my experience in yacht design I had learned to optimize space and light, and even though the space was now divided, it still felt open. The clients were delighted as it solved their dilemma: they purchased the apartment and asked me to be their designer for the entire renovation. I visited the apartment, took pictures and measurements, and after about an hour in the space, I met with the on-site German speaking contractor who would oversee the works to explain what they had to do, throughout the entire apartment. I taped the floors for where the walls should be placed, and returned to the U.S.
Thankfully, a colleague of mine was based in Europe and could go on site at regular intervals. At first, we thought once or twice a month, but it became fairly clear that once a week was necessary to keep the vision intact.
To me, there are unlimited possibilities with each space, what is most important is to understand what the client is looking for, what their tastes are, what matters to them, how they will use a space, if they have physical limitations, preferences, specific furniture or art in mind that they want to feature. With this information in mind, I optimize the space, the flow, the function, the light, the volumes, the wall space… while for us it is one of many projects, this will become their every day, it is essential that it be what they are looking for. Behind the scenes, I also think about the construction process, the materials, costs, timeline, how it will be built, cleaned, and I already facilitate access for potential future repairs.
I had regular video calls with my colleague about questions that were asked by the contractors or unilateral decisions that had to be course corrected, whereas I had already stated the answer on my initial visit in late September. My early morning was their lunchtime, my lunchtime was their after-hours. To ensure clarity, I wrote all correspondence, descriptions, plans in German to ensure that nothing would be lost in translation. The apartment was to be finished in time for Christmas, this was indeed a challenge.
In addition to the kitchen/dining/living redesign, I transformed the spacious and bright room behind the kitchen, which had been used as a laundry room, into an office/breakfast nook at the request of the client and I found the perfect place for the washer and dryer in a smaller storage space which already included a sink and thus had all the required plumbing already installed.
The library was to become a multimedia room as I added a sliding wall on it, which would include a large flatscreen television. I placed it in such a way that wires and technology would be hidden, while keeping full access to the books by allowing maximum motion of the moving wall and ensuring no glare from the sun on the screen. The carpenter had never done anything like it before and was adamant that it would never work, but since I had already designed it successfully on a yacht, I knew that it would be even more stable on land and sure enough: it was.
The client chose vintage lighting fixtures to fit with the original age and style of the building (Art Nouveau period), and I designed ceiling medallions for the chandeliers. The ceiling heights were different in various rooms, so I also homogenized the crown molding throughout, adding it in the new rooms and completing the others. I also designed a pedestal for a large, heavy antique mirror and ensured that it would be safely secured to the wall.
In order to feature the artworks and furniture of the client, I had chosen three specific greys that could bring out the frames and almost disappear in the daylight. To pick the perfect shade, we asked for each sample color to be painted next to one of the windows, and we looked at how it evolved in the daylight, and then with artificial light, along with the natural colors from the view. Only one shade looked good in every condition.
We incorporated hanging rails for the paintings with the design of the crown molding, which allowed for easy placement or height by simply adjusting the levels of the sturdy transparent wires. In order to protect the paintings, we had an almost colorless filter installed on the windows to limit UV and light, and we consulted with a museum to choose spots of a particular intensity to feature the paintings while causing minimal damage upon them.
The kitchen received a full upgrade and while the general layout suited the client, the surfaces had to be redone, the appliances replaced, and the space usage optimized. We succeeded in incorporating an ice making fridge-freezer combination, which was not common in Europe at the time.
The entire lighting had to be redone since the long load-bearing beams that interrupted the original living room were “adorned” on each side with fluorescent tubes. We replaced them with warm, dimmable LED ceiling spots. These were in addition to the picture lighting system, which consisted of multidirectional LED spots, which could be turned on separately, thus saving again on energy.
The apartment was finished, with the floors redone, in time for the Christmas, as promised, even early in fact. In the end, each of the craftsmen who had participated in this project had gone beyond what they were used to, and they were very proud of what they had achieved, incorporating it into future projects of theirs.
The clients were so delighted with the result that they gave me the biggest compliment that they could, saying that it immediately felt like home, and they have come back to me through the year for updates.
For example, they barely used their terrace since it is very exposed and when the strong winds hit, it is essential to have every furniture secured or inside. In order for them to be able to appreciate their view in all comfort and reassurance, I designed a table which they could extend if they have guests, and which they can fold back to the wall and secure fully when it is not in use.
They also asked me to optimize their butler’s pantry. The original space had shelving that prolonged beyond the perpendicular enclosed shelving units on either side, which made parts of its own shelving simply inaccessible. They requested – if at all possible – enclosed storage spaces and racks for their bottles. I designed a system around a central wine rack “spine”, to which two double-sided storage doors are secured, with pull out drawers on each side extending beyond the existing shelving. In the end, I almost doubled the storage surface, allowing for every item to be organized in separate categories and easily accessed.
The general structure and layout of the apartment has remained the same, but since the timeline was so limited for the initial works, and some things are discovered with use, they had decided to keep the individual storage spaces in their original state.
When someone moves into a new space, it takes a bit of time for them to “own” it, and if they always reach for a certain item in a place in which it isn’t… perhaps it should be placed there. The original walk-in closet had not been very efficient, and certainly didn’t fit the purpose and use of the client. Accordingly, I measured all the types of clothes and accessories that would be stored there and designed racks, drawers of various types and sizes, as well as closets to protect everything, make it easy to see and find, all of which was made in cedar wood in order to keep moths away, and with illuminated racks.
After the success of this closet, the client asked me to come back to create a second walk-in closet out of the sauna which they had never used, but in which they had begun storing items. The second bedroom had pre-existing shelving and closets, but they were again not responding to the client’s needs, and this would allow for the bedroom to also be slightly extended. I measured the clothes and accessories that would go into the walk-in closet, and designed one that was bright, spacious and allowed for all items to be easily accessed. I replaced the door which had until then been to the bathroom with a bathroom cupboard, and we opened a sliding door where the original closed had been, refinishing the rest of the wall.
In addition to this, I designed a pedestal for a oversized painting, ensuring its stability, while keeping the work of art protected, as well as additional yet discreet storage using existing window nooks, one of which became drawers in a bathroom, and the other a hanging file system by the office space.
A few years later, they invited me to redesign another apartment of theirs which they had signed a several year rental contract on. The building was well out of date, but since the owner was going to redesign it anyways, they agreed that we could work together and redesign it in such a way that it would suit the clients personally. Any cost beyond what the owner had already planned would be incurred by the client.
The layout remained essentially the same, but there were many small changes. The kitchen kept the island in its original location, which was well chosen, but the surfaces had to be redone, the appliances updated, and all the storage completely optimized.
When I did my first kitchen renovation years before, it was in an old house, and I removed and built everything myself, but I did have a plumber and electrician certify that everything was up to standards. Within that process, as for everything I do, I researched in depth what was the best way to design a kitchen, what to look for, etc., and I found an explanation of the ideal work triangle, giving easy access and almost equal distance between stovetop, refrigerator and sink. While there was indeed a triangle linking the three, this kitchen had the refrigerator and oven side by side, with all the obvious problems that it could entail. In a word, the workflow had much room for improvement.
I redesigned where everything was located, securing once again an ice cube making fridge freezer combination, which was quite large, a new oven, a steam oven, even a steam water tap, which no one had either heard, nor even after explanation, understood the use of. I found one in another country and I installed it myself in front the mystified craftsmen.
The storage throughout had to be completely redone and, knowing how my clients liked to organize and use their kitchenware, I incorporated many drawers, optimizing visibility and ease of access.
Since they enjoyed the lighting of their other apartment, I used ceiling spots again in the kitchen and throughout. I had the walls painted the same grey as the one which had suited them perfectly throughout the apartment. Grey can be a very interesting color, if used in a bright apartment it registers almost as white in the mind, but really brings out paintings, furniture, even faces, providing an excellent and flattering background, not a dull one as can be expected.
In order to protect the art, I had the same UV filters placed on the windows. While this might seem a repeat of the past, it was in fact what made them feel at home. That said, I always do research and discovered that a few years of progress later the company which had provided the hanging rails also offered the possibility of electrifying them and including spots. That decision informed the crown molding throughout as well as the installation of electricity of the entire apartment.
The bathrooms were particularly complex because they had been previously designed without any apparent care for use. For example, the rod to bring the blinds up would be stuck behind a sink, or a toilet roll holder beyond normal hand reach, etc. I reviewed and redesigned every bathroom, with small but sensible changes in some, complete redesigns in others. It was important to ensure that everything was placed in a convenient location for everyday use.
That particular renovation was made in an Italian-speaking region, and all conversations took place in Italian. Again, I ensured that the plans and descriptions were in the contractors’ and craftsmen’s language to avoid any loss in translation, and again at the end of the renovation, they were all very proud of the work that they had done. The clients also were delighted with the finished apartment, which they dubbed their “home away from home.”
Similarly, I returned a few times to create display units for their collections, or – the most complex task: air conditioning. This apartment was also very exposed but to the heat, and in the Summer, or even sometimes Fall and Spring, it could become an oven. I organized incorporating air conditioning units in the ceiling, but the plans I was provided with as to what was where in the ceiling were inaccurate, such as beams, tubing, etc. Every day was a new surprise and I worked together with the installers to find solutions.
In the old house I had been renovating years before, I had installed the air conditioning myself, physically, therefore I truly understood what was required, so I was able to bring workable solutions to the apparently insoluble problems that we were faced with every day. They were very surprised because not many designers in Europe have hands-on experience of installing the a/c, but that certainly came in very handy.
Again and again, the fact that I am familiar with the materials, construction methods, and that I have extended hands-on knowledge of construction proves absolutely key in my design and my interactions with the craftsmen. They always begin with a slight distrust, as if a designer – industrial or not – only knew how to draw pretty things without any practical sense. Every project ends with strong, knowing handshakes, the thrill of craftsmen having gone beyond what they were used to, and proud of what they had achieved, ready to work on another project with me. It is a true pleasure, one which I always appreciate.