Someplace beautiful, minimalistic and low maintenance was what our downsizing clients desired as they moved from their suburban family home to a city apartment. Offering all the above and more – shopping, restaurants, botanical gardens and a magnificent city skyline view – the homeowners found it the perfect place to invest for the future without compromise on lifestyle. Even still, when it came to filling the space they struggled with its lack of personality, insufficient storage and structural obstacles.
The Stylesmiths™ worked to innovate design solutions that would enhance apartment living, staying within the realm of simplicity and minimalism. Resolving the most obvious challenge first, the two round structural columns that once interrupted the floorplan flow, were absorbed into the overall design, reworking their odd positioning in living zone and bedroom to create unique feature pieces. Slim grey and white kit-kat tiles were selected to cover the columns as a subtle way to add textural interest and character, whilst being sympathetic to the project’s colour palette. The custom-built dining table of timber with stone inlay, hugs itself around the column living room column to form one end, giving the structure a purpose and synergy.
A new home with a small footprint meant there was a lack of storage, which called for critical thinking. The Stylesmiths™ resolved the issue seamlessly, installing custom joinery throughout that responds to our client’s lifestyle needs. The entry way benefits from a flush cupboard and draws that double as a seat, providing a spot to take your shoes off after a long day, and successfully maximising even the small spaces. Across the apartment is a similar solution – a long cushion banquet disguises long draws that sit underneath and follow on to connect to the study nook, overlooking the city’s art precinct. These personalised details are what helped this apartment interior design to feel unique, practical and restrained.
But an added touch of luxury never goes astray, found in the elegant marble feature that effortlessly steals the show. It’s perfectly booked-matched veins sprawled across the living room wall, reference the light and shade that bounces between the surrounding skyscrapers. Continuing down to form an entertainment unit with additional storage draws, this is the best-loved feature for client and designer alike.
Neutrality drives the apartment’s colour scheme, mixing creamy whites with neutral greys and black accents. Warmth is lightly injected via the handcrafted Hare + Klein rug, with woven orange that compliments the existing chestnut kitchen cabinetry. Creating softness in a minimalism design is important. The Stylesmiths™ reimagined curves throughout, inspired by the centric columns. Furniture and joinery items are defined by clean, rounded lines, balancing against the hard surfaces including spheric lamps and circular rug, every joinery edge that’s been rounded and soft linen curtains that sporadically dance in the breeze.
