Open plan concept 

Today it is crystal clear to everyone that you need to patiently kiss the ground on which your grumpy boss walks for every square of an apartment. So when you break down ahead of the time and find out that you will be able to collect some money for possibly 40 square feet of roof over your head (and not the minimum of 140 you imagined your entire childhood), then you want those 40 squares to look grandiose and to not suffocate in a bunch of walls. You want to breathe normally, and also make a party in that hard and painfully purchased place. It is probably for this reason that recently has become a real hit to have apartments with connected spaces, and people are tearing down the walls in their old apartments like crazy, ignoring the reinforcing bars protruding from the load-bearing walls. But the fact is that the young couple needs just that kind of unobtrusiveness that open space offers. Separating the kitchen from the living room, which came at a time when an architect decided that our noses were too sensitive to be exposed to the direct smell of hours of cooking beef jerky or sweating anchovies in hot oil, is increasingly rare today. Due to the fast consumerist lifestyle nowadays, young couples will rarely cook, and the cakes that a newlywed wife will bake will fill this space without hindrance with the warmth and sweetness that suits him.

The example of this attic apartment tells exactly one such story. The young couple or single will have everything they need at their fingertips, and in just a few moves, space will turn into a dance floor for their guests. The advantage of this particular space is its indentedness. The apartment has the luck of being out of the ordinary square shape – the hallway and room are further broken into fragments by recesses in the wall and by sloping wooden beams. The well-balanced symbiosis of the stone wall in several colors and the plaster coating certainly adds to space’s indulgence, which, by being drawn over the stone by 4 cm, further emphasizes the dynamism, especially with its wavy lines. The white color, however, reduces the sluggishness of the stone wall and brings additional refreshments to space. Although it is unlimited space, it is visually divided into its functions. The entrance hall is artificially enriched by niches in the wall, which at the entry indicates that it is not a classic arrangement of space, and the bathroom wall at first glance skillfully hides the sleeping part from the entrance. For those who are allowed to explore this little gem more deeply, the sleeping area, which is romantically bounded by a wall of stone, is revealed, and the silver night lamp of the round contours is an excellent link between retro furniture and a modern interior views. The sofa, with the decorations surrounding it, is a relaxing part – for reading magazines (Pleasure, of course!), books, surfing with a laptop or having a pleasant conversation with a glass of wine.

This cozy corner with white wall decoration and a single wall in a pleasant blue hue connects the “storage” part of the room – a drawer and a closet of an antique style which nevertheless, with its white color, avoids suffocating space while giving an elegant antique look. We like that the TV is not in the center of the room as some altar of vanity that determines what to do in your spare time. But we would still recommend a large plasma TV here to place on a movable wall mount so you can view carefully selected movies from every angle of the room. The next part is the dining room with the kitchen. The kitchen is of modern Italian workmanship. But the transition between the romantic living area and the work area has been successfully done with a white table and chairs, which seem to set some invisible line in the middle of the space. The room is perfectly integrated with two large chests for storing things that have been converted into seating areas. The arrangements of the lights are also thoughtful – each corner can be illuminated with a suitable lamp, according to the mood of the tenants, which allows the play of lights and shadows, and makes the room dynamic, intriguing and seductive at night! The bathroom is in its separate part of the flat, wisely positioned at the entrance to get as much privacy as possible. The style successfully follows the character of the apartment – a glass shower with modern massage equipment does not stand out from the old-fashioned look of the bathroom elements, again in white as the bridge between the old and the new.

This lovely studio is an excellent example of a successful combination of the many elements that needed to be aligned when creating a cozy and warm living corner. It represents the ideal gem as a springboard for a young couple who will always remember with nostalgia the life’s spontaneity and playfulness that they experienced in this little apartment!

TEXT & PHOTO – Lora Suljic