Makedonias flat

A one bedroom apartment situated in the last floor of a residential building in the neighborhood of Exarcheia was renovated in depth but in a simple yet efficient way. One of the basic ideas behinf the renovation was to create a distinctive character but with the use of discreet and simple materials.
The architectural perspective was to deal with a space that had specific limitations in such a way that it would enchance and emphasize the visual and living experience. The layout of the flat is a bit distressed , organized along the horizontal axis following a rather peculiar set up. This created a small junction of corridors which in return created a claustrophobic feeling in the areas surrounding it (kitchen). As a result the circulation of natural light was disrupted and needed an effective way to be dealt with. The kitchen divided the entire space into two parts and created a bit of confusion as to how to navigate inside the apartment.
The idea that the presence of natural light should be felt throughout all the spaces was achieved with the removal of two walls in the kitchen space and three parapets along the main corridor that leads to the living room. This created a continuity amongst spaces that gives an overall feeling of a studio space. A main element that helped to achieve this was the epoxy floor that was applied in all the spaces that previously had a wrecked terrazzo floor. The greyish colour of the floor helped to unify the spaces that was applied to and enlight them. Being a key ingredient of a soft colour palette it helped to reorganize the spaces in to three zones while making the transition from one another smooth.
Apart from the epoxy paint for the floor another three types of tiles were chosen for the kitchen,bathroom and living room. All of them range from white to anthracite which in total sum up to five colours that constitute the entire range of colours. This selection of materials reflected upon the peculiar geometry of the flat and served the idea that the overall appeal should be that of a bigger space (true area 52 sq.m).
The kitchen which is a junction due to its position had to play an even more functional role from its previous state. Because of the limited space available an ergonomic solution had to be found in order to organize the now multi purpose area. A new furniture piece was designed to host multiple functions such as storage for shoes, jacket hanger and dining table. A minimal designed was prepared and was manufactured in okume plywood due to its cost, durability and appearance. This raw and at the same time soft look helped it to integrate in the kitchen area and the surrounding space.
The second space that required a lot of attention hence the complete redesign was the bathroom. Here a structural limitation that constrained things was the low height ceiling due to the storage space that sat above it and could not be demolished. A white 20×20 cm. was applied in most of its walls helping to create a sense of perspective and depth of field. The combination of grey epoxy floor, white tiles, white walls along with the presence of a large rectangular mirror helped to create a minimal and fully ergonomic space.
The remaining areas of of the bedroom, living room and terrace were repaired, repainted and fitted with minimalistic light fixtures that followed the geometry of each room. The overall feeling that a visitor gets upon entering the apartment and navigating through its spaces is that of a spacious apartment ,well organized and with a sense of a bigger space than it actually is.