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‘Making the most of the light throughout the day also meant
the interiors scheme was predominantly created in natural
and light colours’ added Susan Knof, ‘from the pale-wash of the
timber flooring to the pure white of the kitchen. To ensure the
apartment had personality accents, strong and punchy colour
was also introduced, especially for the children’s bedrooms
and playroom and the scheme’s stunning ensuites in purple
and green mosaic.’
The Brief
The brief from the client was to merge two existing properties
(an east and west apartment) to create a single, open living
environment that allowed for an unobstructed kitchen, dining,
living and entertaining space, where full advantage could be
taken of the views, whilst also providing private areas for the
master bedroom and children’s areas.
Interior Design Language
‘On entering the apartment, the language of the interior
scheme is immediately apparent’, commented Susan Knof.
‘The elegant, yet subdued, use of soft natural materials greets
you in the primary entrance hall.
As you proceed past the natural-dyed, grey-veneered walls,
the open space is subtle and sophisticated and allows the
gorgeous mountainous natural environment beyond to take
centre stage.’
Architectural Challenges
From an interior architectural standpoint, the main challenge
of the project was the original planning of the overall building
– especially the existing plumbing stacks, which allowed little
possibility for exploration of different bathroom locations and
the new design very much had to work around that.
Structurally, there were also given core walls that had to
remain in place. In addition, the full height windows also
offered limited space for new ceiling and lighting logistics, and,
most restrictive of all, the M&E services were planned along
the perimeter full height glazing walls, seemingly blocking the
views and the implementation of sheer or black-out curtaining.
This was overcome by re-coordinating the mechanical layouts
and plans, so that the air handling units were brought inside
the internal core walls and concealed in custom joinery units.
‘A very important aspect of this scheme’, Susan Knof explained, ‘was using
materials in such a way as to allow for individuality whilst still adhering
to the client’s budget. I always seek to make use of every available space
and have beautifully-integrated furniture with a real attention to
detail. It’s what really makes the difference. The small intimate spaces
that get used on a daily basis do not go unnoticed. It’s my intention to
make the user feel special every time the apartment is in use.’