The project is an attempt to reinterpret in a dignified way an apartment located in an old residential building whose architecture and construction are typical of the late 1930s Sofia. The design intervention is a reflection on the discreet charm of the mass residential architecture of this period, on its life beyond the life cycle of the finishing materials and floorings originally put into it. It is also an exercise in how to reveal the remarkable in the ordinary by restoring spatial relationships and applying classic ways of treating surfaces and renovating several neglected but characteristic details that we found in the apartment. At the same time, together with the future residents, we searched for equally timeless contemporary methods of renewing the spaces, which unobtrusively affirm the connection of the home with the present.
SPACES AND MATERIALS
The character of the spaces in the apartment is strongly influenced by their visual connections with the rooftops of the surrounding buildings on the street-side and with the crowns of the trees on the side the quiet inner courtyard of the building. This is the first distinctive feature of the apartment that the project preserves from its existing state and further develops by emphasizing the portals in the living area. The path of natural light through the building is traced through careful and minimalist arrangement of cabinet furniture and strategic placement of internal openings along the axes of the existing facade openings. The restoration of a simple, yet imbued with the spirit of the building, wooden portal in the living room is combined with the decision to restore the aesthetics of the floors with small-tiled oak parquets. The warmth of the oak parquet floors flows into both sleeping spaces. The contrasting achromatic wall palette of all spaces in graphite gray and snow white is used two achieve two goals: to maximize natural light in the living areas and visual comfort in the sleeping areas, and to provide a suitable backdrop for the many artworks – both painting and photography – in the residents’ collection.
