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      Studio Vaaro reconfigures House M using built-in storage volumes

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      For the renovation of a house in Toronto’s West End, local firm Studio Vaaro added minimally detailed millwork to form kitchen cabinetry, the staircase and a feature bookcase in the living room.

      Studio Vaaro’s overhaul of House M, a three-storey detached property that had been renovated and extended multiple times over the years, involved reconfiguring the layout to remove the awkward subdivided spaces.
      The ground floor of House M is partitioned by storage volumes laid out in a diamond formation”Our clients were a professional couple with two young children, who were looking for flexible and resilient spaces that could accommodate their home offices, overnight guests, and the changing needs of their growing children,” said the studio.
      “We, therefore, developed a spatial concept based on ‘functional volumes’, in which well-proportioned spaces are partitioned by blocks of storage and service functions.”
      The pale blue-grey volumes provide additional storage space for the kitchenThese built-in storage blocks partially partition four rooms on the ground floor while keeping an open flow between them.

      Laid out in a diamond formation, all are coloured pale blue-grey to highlight their function against the otherwise white walls.
      In the kitchen, oak cabinetry contrasts with the marble countertops”The large amount of built-in storage ensures the rooms themselves are free of clutter and ready for use,” said Studio Vaaro. “In line with the family’s personalities, colour and playful details abound.”
      In the entryway is a coat closet that hides the view of the living room behind, where an oak bookcase sat atop a teal powder-coated fireplace covers almost an entire wall.
      Bleachers are built into the oak staircase, offering a display area or extra seatingA powder room is placed between this space and the kitchen, also forming additional cabinet and counter space within its volume.
      Further kitchen storage sits in front of the dining room, and another closet is tucked under the doglegging staircase.
      On the first floor, the bedrooms are accessed through deep portal doorways”A ‘mixing bowl’ at the centre of the plan, at the base of the stairs, visually and physically connects all four spaces,” the studio said.
      Both the entry and the dining room volumes are pulled away from the home’s exterior walls, allowing additional views between rooms.
      The portals are coloured dusty pink and the kids rooms are also colourfulThe remaining built-in furniture is oak to match the flooring that runs throughout, including kitchen millwork and the staircase, which incorporates oversized bleachers for displaying kids’ artwork or creating extra seating during a party.
      A white metal “picket” guardrail, softened with rounded details, allows light to pass down from the upper levels.

      Long wooden cabinet runs through slender Borden house by StudioAC

      On the first floor, two parallel volumes separate the children’s rooms at the front of the house and the primary suite at the back from the central corridor.
      These create both storage for the rooms, and deep doorway portals that are highlighted in dusty pink.
      Skylights in the stepped angled roofs bring extra light into rooms at the rear, including the primary bathroomCarefully considered details include recesses for the door handles, allowing the doors to open the full 90 degrees without banging into the wall.
      Work and study spaces in the attic are minimally furnished, though feature built-in desks that step up to form shelves behind.
      Study spaces in the attic also feature built-in furnitureSkylights in the stepped, angled roof planes on all three floors bring extra light into the dining room, primary bathroom, and the stairwell.
      Other Toronto homes that have undergone extensive renovations to make them better suited for their occupants include a 14-foot-wide house where pale woodwork forms storage to make more space, and another “disguised as a gallery” – both designed by StudioAC.
      The photography is by Scott Norsworthy.
      Project credits:
      Team: Aleris Rodgers, Francesco Valente-Gorjup, Shengjie Qiu.

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      Formation Association transforms series of buildings for Phillips Los Angeles

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      Los Angeles architecture studio Formation Association has turned an assemblage of buildings in West Hollywood into a new home for London-based auction house Phillips.

      The West Coast headquarters for Phillips opened in October 2022 and includes three showrooms, a patio and offices created from a set of disparate structures on Santa Monica Boulevard.
      The new Phillips Los Angeles combines several different structures, including a historic doorway that was preservedFormation Association preserved many of the existing architectural elements of the eclectic collection of buildings, ensuring that each section retained its identity.
      “We started with idiosyncratic conditions and buildings layered with history,” said studio co-founder John K Chan, who led the project. “We wanted to keep that sensibility. The building is a varied palimpsest, with traces of the past appearing within the new facade.”
      An oculus punctures the curved overhang above the main entranceThe entrance to the 3,182-square-foot (296-square-metre) showroom is on an acute street corner, beneath a curved canopy clad in grey stucco.

      “This rounded marquee, punctuated by an overhead oculus, evokes the automobile-oriented Streamline Moderne era,” said Formation Association.
      Another circular cutout was created in the first gallery, exposing wooden beams that were painted silverThe textured stucco is contrasted by smooth trowelled plaster that covers adjacent surfaces, intended to add a Southern California identity to the building.
      On the east elevation, the team retained the sheet metal siding and an old doorway of a historic facade.
      Oak floors throughout the building match those found in Phillips’ other international locationsThis side of the building also includes a tall, narrow window through which Phillips can move large artworks in and out.
      Along the south facade, the architects added recessed windows cut at angles into the thickened perimeter wall, which allow more light into the galleries.
      The tallest space in the building, Showroom C, will be used to showcase larger artworks and sculptureInside, the three gallery spaces are laid out in sequence. Upon entry is Showroom A, which features a soffit ceiling and wide baseboards to evoke a residential space.
      A second oculus punctures the ceiling, exposing wooden beams painted silver as a nod to the work of Californian architect Richard Neutra.
      Steps and a ramp lead up to an office space that’s also used for client meetingsThe smallest gallery, Showroom B, is accessed through an open portal, and Showroom C is reached through a similar threshold.
      With a ceiling over 15 feet (4.5 metres) tall, this gallery is used for displaying larger artworks and sculptures.

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      All three spaces feature oak floors that match those found in all of Phillips’ international locations.
      “With the interplay of light and oak wood floors across the three subsequent showrooms, we were thinking about the cadence of an irregular enfilade,” said Chan. “Each of the three galleries has a distinct proportion that we wanted to leverage.”
      At the back of the building is a patio enclosed by grey-stained plywood wallsFrom Showroom C, a couple of steps and a ramp lead up to a small office used for client meetings.
      At the back of the building is the covered patio, enclosed by walls made from plywood that was stained grey to match the exterior stucco.
      Phillips Los Angeles opened in October 2022The opening of Phillips Los Angeles follows over a decade of continual growth for the city’s arts scene, which has seen galleries like Hauser & Wirth and The Future Perfect set up shop, and an annual edition of the Frieze Art Fair introduced.
      Formation Association is led by Chan and partner Grace U Oh. As well as completing a variety of institutional, residential and commercial projects, the studio has contributed several times to a program organised by the Architects for Animals charity that asks LA-based architects to design shelters for the city’s homeless cats.
      The photography is by Eric Staudenmaier.
      Project credits:
      Design team: John K Chan, Nick Miuccio, Carlo ‘CJ’ Guzman, Jay Lee, Colin JacobsStructural engineer: Nous EngineeringMEP engineer: Engineous GroupLighting designer: Fisher Marantz StoneLandscape designer: Ochre

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      Sheft Farrace renovates loft in Los Angeles' art deco Eastern Columbia building

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      Architecture studio Sheft Farrace has renovated a loft apartment in Los Angeles’ iconic Eastern Columbia building, subtly incorporating colours from the art deco exterior into the minimalist interiors.

      The studio renovated the loft while drawing details from the exterior of the 13-storey building in Downtown Los Angeles, known for its highly detailed turquoise facade and clock tower, which was designed by Claud Beelman and completed in 1930.
      Sheft Farrace chose to divide up the loft, yet retain visual connections through framed openingsIt was converted into lofts in 2006, and local studio Sheft Farrace was recently tasked with renovating one of the condos for a young creative from Kazakhstan.
      “Uninspired by the unit’s original 2006 layout and interiors, the owner wanted it to feel like a brand new space — so Sheft Farrace approached it as a blank canvas,” said the studio, led by Alex Sheft and John Farrace.
      The pared-down decor contrasts the building’s colourful exteriorThe apartment has tall ceilings, and their height is accentuated by the building’s long narrow windows and floor-to-ceiling drapery.

      Rather than keep the open floor plan, the studio chose to divide up the space to help define areas for different functions.
      The ceiling height is accentuated by tall windows and floor-to-ceiling draperyHowever, the visual connections between the kitchen and dining room, and the living room and bedroom, are retained by large framed openings used in place of doors.
      “Every space has its own character, based on what time of day it is and how the natural light comes in through the full-height windows,” said Sheft Farrace.

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      For the most part, the home is decorated in a much more pared-down style than the building’s opulent exterior, primarily with soft neutral hues and sparse furnishings.
      Certain material choices in the kitchen and bathroom tie much more closely to the colourful facades, including white oak, Verde Aver marble, and Florida Brush quartzite to echo the orange, green and blue exterior tiles.
      Materials like white oak and Florida Brush quartzite in the kitchen nod to the art deco exteriorThe curved corners of the kitchen counters and elongated cabinet hardware also evoke 1930s design.
      “Upon first glance, it’s stylistically in stark contrast with the historical building that it’s within, but throughout the space are subtle nods to the art deco exterior and ultimately, it feels like it belongs,” Sheft Farrace said. “We felt honored to have contributed a small chapter to the long and storied history of a Los Angeles landmark.”
      In the bathroom, Verde Aver marble was also chosen to reference the historic tiled facadesDowntown Los Angeles has dramatically transformed from a no-go zone to a popular and thriving neighbourhood over the past 20 years.
      This shift is partially thanks to the opening of cultural institutions like Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall and Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s The Broad museum, as well as a spate of high-end hotels.
      The photography is by Yoshihiro Makino.

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      Emma Martí celebrates Menorca's architectural heritage in Hevresac Hotel

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      Spanish architect Emma Martí has converted an 18th-century townhouse on the Balearic island of Menorca into the intimate eight-bedroom Hevresac Hotel, taking over all of its five floors from basement to attic.

      The building, which originally belonged to a local merchant and privateer, is set in the historic centre of Mahón – a former trade hub that still bears traces of French and English culture after spending many years under colonial rule.
      Emma Martí has converted a five-storey townhouse into the Hevresac HotelHevresac owners Ignasi Truyol and Stephanie Mahé brought Martí on board for the renovation in part because she was an old friend, who they thought could be trusted to conserve and enhance the spirit and character of the building.
      Martí’s aim for the project was to fill the building with light and life while preserving its wealth of existing architectural elements, from wooden beams and mosaic flooring to stucco walls and staircases.
      “The aim of the project was to create a fresh and inspiring hotel that values the beauty of the existing architecture,” said the hotel’s owners.

      Original details such as parquet floors were retained throughoutHevresac’s original floors, covered variously in wooden parquet and encaustic cement tiles, were carefully preserved.
      In areas where it was not possible to retain the original elements, Martí chose a new design language using modern equivalents of these original materials, including micro-cement.
      Hevresac Hotel has only eight guest roomsThe renovation process revealed both the stucco on the walls and the original paintwork on the beams, uncovering part of the building’s hidden history.
      The original wrought iron columns in the living room are now a celebrated feature. Less noticeable but equally interesting is the Masonic symbolism on the wrought-iron railing of the marble staircase at the entrance.
      Solid timber was used to frame private bathrooms in each of the bedroomsMartí also wanted to preserve the original room structure of the townhouse.
      To allow for this, she added private bathrooms within each of the existing bedrooms using a lightweight timber framing system made of solid Flanders pine, while three-ply spruce boards form partitions, headboards and wardrobes in each bedroom.
      “Martí’s intention is for the new materials to coexist and harmonise with the originals, providing a new language, lightness and contemporaneity,” the owners said.

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      A new staircase – also utilising spruce ply – now coexists with the original staircase, providing an alternative route through the Hevresac Hotel.
      The material is key to the contemporary language of the new insertions, which sit clearly differentiated alongside layers of the building’s past.
      “I like to work with an honest and frank attitude towards the island’s architectural heritage,” Martí told Dezeen. “I wanted it to be clear what our intervention was, not to highlight it but to highlight the value of what existed in the building.”
      Three-ply spruce boards form partitions and wardrobes in each of the bedroomsTo fill the spaces with natural light, several skylights were added on the upper floor, with one above the main stairwell as well as three new openings in the facade.
      In the basement, the vaulted ceiling made of local marés stone required an intervention to lighten the space.
      Martí’s response was to remove a bay of the existing vault and install a new, more comfortable staircase to link the ground floor with the basement and flood the space with light.
      Martí also added a new spruce ply staircaseHevresac’s choice of furnishings reflects Mahón’s cosmopolitan history, including an eclectic assembly of antique, vintage and contemporary pieces from all over Europe.
      Among them are Nanimarquina rugs, Achille Castiglioni lights and some of Marcel Breuer’s Cesca chairs, as well as items from Menorcan antique dealers including Alcolea & Kraus and Antics Antigüedades.
      “It’s a kind of synergy,” the owners said. “Together, the components project a warm, creative and personal composition, which is more than the algebraical sum of those individual pieces.”
      The hotel has a small terraceMartí, who founded her self-titled studio Emma Martí Arquitectura in Menorca in 2013, has since completed a number of projects on the island.
      Among them is a work retreat inside an abandoned girls’ school, with design-driven spaces where businesses can host meetings or team-building sessions.
      The photography is by Pol Viladoms

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      Worrell Yeung renovates cast-iron New York building for arts organisation

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      Architecture studio Worrell Yeung has renovated a historic cast-iron building in Soho for an arts organisation called Canal Projects, which hosts exhibitions “in an unmistakably New York City space”.

      Sat between Soho and Tribeca, the five-storey landmark was built in 1900 as a manufacturing centre, featuring a decorative white facade, double-hung windows and an external fire escape all typical of the neighbourhood.
      Worrell Yeung renovated the lower two floors of a landmarked building to create a home for Canal ProjectsIts street and basement levels were renovated by Worrell Yeung to create a home for Canal Projects, a non-profit arts organisation that hosts exhibitions, talks, performances, readings and screenings for the community.
      The studio was careful to retain as much of the building’s character as possible, highlighting the existing features like original masonry and steam radiators, and restoring them where necessary.
      Patinated bronze panels line the new entry thresholdVisitors arrive via a new entry threshold on Canal Street, where patinated bronze panels line the tall walls in a space intended to offer a moment of pause.

      Up a short flight of steps is the main gallery space – a large, open and flexible room that can be programmed in accordance with the organisation’s needs.
      The main gallery space is surrounded by windows and features historic details”We designed the foundation to be a series of spaces that would compress and expand, collapse and unfold and move between dark and light,” said Worrell Yeung co-founder Jejon Yeung.
      Surrounded by 14 large windows on two sides and boasting ceilings over 13 feet (four metres) tall, this room is light-filled and spacious.
      A staircase leads down to more space at cellar levelNew white oak floors complement the industrial details, including five cast iron columns and five wide flange steel columns that were exposed and restored.
      “Similarly to providing artists with a distinctive platform, we wanted viewers to experience art in an unmistakably New York City space,” said Max Worrell, Worrell Yeung’s other co-founder.
      A library area is formed by pivoting floor-to-ceiling shelves”Passers-by will glimpse exhibitions from the street through the window walls along Canal and Wooster Streets, and visitors on the interior can see artwork with the city context visible in the background,” Worrell said.
      Also on the ground-floor level are private offices for the curators and a bright orange public restroom.
      The dark cellar space is used for film screeningsNext to a freestanding reception desk by artist Zachary Tuabe, a staircase leads down to the basement level, which has a much smaller occupiable footprint.
      Darker and more enclosed, the cellar space features original brickwork, masonry and timber ceiling joists, and provides a very different exhibition space that is suitable for film screenings.
      A bright orange kitchen is tucked into an alcoveLight from the steel sidewalk grates illuminates one end of the space, where a library area is created by floor-to-ceiling shelving that pivots as required.
      A pantry area is hidden in an alcove behind a set of stable doors and is coloured entirely bright orange to match the upstairs restroom.

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      “We wanted artists to confront a venue that provides sufficient neutrality for their work, but that is also distinctly undivorceable from the Soho Cast Iron District,” said Yeung.
      “This is a building typology unique to New York City, and a richly layered context within which to exhibit.”
      A public restroom on the upper level matches the kitchenCanal Projects opened to the public in September 2022, with an exhibition titled Pray organised by artistic director and senior curator Summer Guthery.
      The show featured works by Bangkok and New York-based artist Korakrit Arunanondchai, and American artist and filmmaker Alex Gvojic.
      The building is located on the corner of Canal and Wooster Street, between Soho and TribecaWorrell Yeung was founded in 2015, and has worked on a variety of projects in and around New York.
      The studio recently completed a timber-clad lake house with cantilevered roof planes in Connecticut, while past endeavours have included a Hamptons renovation, a Chelsea loft apartment, and the penthouse in the Dumbo Clocktower Building.
      The photography is by Naho Kubota.
      Project credits:
      Architecture and interior design: Worrell YeungWorrell Yeung project team: Max Worrell, founder and principal; Jejon Yeung, founder and principal; Beatriz de Uña Bóveda, project manager; Yunchao Le, project designerStructural engineer: Silman (Geoff Smith, Nick Lancellotti)Lighting designer: Lighting Workshop (Doug Russell, Steven Espinoza)MEP engineer: Jack Green Associates (Larry Green)Expediter/code consultant: Anzalone Architecture (James Anzalone)Contractor: Hugo Construction (Hugo Cheng, Kong Leong)

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      SSdH tucks Melbourne warehouse apartment into former chocolate factory

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      Local studio SSdH has designed a split-level, mezzanine-style apartment characterised by eclectic furniture, which is housed within an old chocolate factory in Melbourne.

      Kerr is a warehouse apartment in Melbourne’s Fitzroy suburb, located in a building that was once home to the historic MacRoberton’s Chocolate Factory before being converted into residential units in the late 1990s.
      Kerr is one of a number of apartments arranged around a central atriumAdapted into “apartment shells” arranged around a striking central atrium, the units were first designed with only basic amenities to allow occupants to determine their own interior designs.
      SSdH recently renovated Kerr, one of these units, as a three-bedroom, two-bathroom dwelling that intends to expose but also refresh the building’s original architecture.
      “The design pays homage to history while being decidedly contemporary,” studio director Jean-Marie Spencer told Dezeen.

      The home is divided by a white-painted staircaseThe mezzanine-style apartment is split across two levels by a staircase with a white-painted gridded steel mesh balustrade. Doubling as a lightwell, the staircase is illuminated by the apartment’s original single factory window.
      Upstairs, the open-plan living space includes a kitchen fitted with geometric cabinetry made from local spotted gum timber, as well as brushed stainless steel and nickel fixtures.
      Spotted gum timber and stainless steel define the kitchenThe similarly minimalist lounge area is delineated by smooth sliding doors made of the same spotted gum, which are offset by existing structural beams and columns painted in bright white.
      A sage-green two-seater armchair is positioned next to a chunky column floor lamp by emerging designer Annie Paxton and a distinctive coral-blue vase.
      A two-seater armchair features in the lounge area”Old wall and ceiling linings, trims and details are stripped back to expose original materials and structural framing,” explained Spencer.
      “An application of white unifies what was, subsequently giving the ‘new’ its own platform through contrast,” she added.
      SSdH also included timber accents downstairsTwo bedrooms and a bathroom are contained downstairs, while a bedroom and an en-suite feature on the upper level.
      All three bedrooms are defined by the same pared-back white and wooden elements as the communal areas. Inside one of them, a mushroom-like floor lamp made from lumps of blue sculpting plaster adds a playful touch.
      Among the eclectic furniture is a mushroom-like lampGleaming geometric tiles in shades of blue and yellow feature in each of the bathrooms, which also have bulbous sconce lights.
      Timber operable doors and translucent curtains leading to the sleeping areas were designed to balance the airy openness of the living spaces, according to Spencer.
      One bathroom is clad in bright blue tiles”Living areas, where privacy is less of a concern, invoke a spilling out to the street to make the most of the light and air,” said the studio director.
      Other sculptural accents inserted throughout the apartment include boxy aluminium corner stools under the stairs and a fluted side table crafted from a solid piece of timber.

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      SSdH added double glazing to Kerr’s existing large factory window to provide both thermal and acoustic benefits to the apartment, which is located in close proximity to a busy street.
      “This glazing, along with the thermal mass embodied within the heavy masonry building allowed the apartment to remain un-airconditioned, relying on passive cross ventilation from the shared building lobby to maintain temperatures and reduce energy consumption,” said Spencer.
      Boxy aluminium corner stools are tucked under the staircaseFormerly industrial spaces are popular locations for residential conversions.
      Local firm Studio McW transformed an east London warehouse into a live-work space for climate activists and filmmakers Jack Harries and Alice Aedy while Auba Studio designed an apartment in a 1980s bakery in Palma de Mallorca.
      The photography is by Pier Carthew.

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      Ibiza's first hotel gets bohemian refresh from Dorothée Meilichzon

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      The 1930s Montesol hotel in Ibiza has reopened following a full overhaul of its 30 bedrooms and three suites by Dorothée Meilichzon of French interior design studio Chzon.

      Set in the old town of Eivissa, the newly renamed Montesol Experimental has been undergoing a multi-stage renovation since 2021, when it was bought by the Experimental hospitality group.
      Interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon has overhauled the bedrooms (top image) of the Montesol Experimental hotel (above)Meilichzon was responsible for overseeing the whole project, starting two years ago with the Sabbaba restaurant and rooftop bar before finally turning to the rooms. Her aim was to infuse “a bohemian overtone throughout the interior”, drawing on the hotel’s rich history.
      Built nearly a century ago in 1933, the neo-colonial Montesol is widely considered Ibiza’s first hotel, and between the 50s and 80s was known for hosting a roster of hippies, celebrities and royals including the members of rock band Pink Floyd and legendary director and actor Orson Welles.
      The rooms are brightened up by Diego Faivre’s Playdough StoolsMeilichzon was keen to tap into this bohemian past, layering up an array of fabrics, patterns, fringes and pompoms, used against light woods and textured plaster walls.

      “The hotel is a pool of colour to reflect the joy and open-mindedness of Ibiza,” she told Dezeen.
      Shell-patterned walls feature throughout the interiorsWarm yellow hues nod to the building’s iconic yellow-and-white exterior, juxtaposed with a variety of green and blue tones that bring in the colours of the Mediterranean sea.
      “Solar colours have been adopted in common areas and lunar colours in rooms,” she said. “Listening to Ayurvedic principles, we used cooling, calming colours inside the hotel to counterbalance the heat outside.”
      Moroccan zellige tiles were used to frame the mini bars in the guest roomsTiling, too, brings a cooling element, used in both the rooms and the public spaces.
      “Tiles are an important feature in this hotel,” Meilichzon explained. “And we have used traditional zelliges to wrap the niches of the mini-bars in a palette of orange, brown and off-white.”

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      A hand-made theme threads through the building, as seen in the many shell-patterned walls that were created by pressing individual seashells into fresh lime plaster.
      Arched forms – from room openings to bathroom mirrors to statement headboard – reference the grandeur of the hotel’s exterior but in a more relaxed and low-key way.
      Arched headboards reference the grandeur of the hotel’s exteriorCircles are another recurring silhouette, found across rugs, arworks and chair backs.
      “I enjoyed shaping a lot of curvy, wavy lines around the hotel to add softness to the design,” Meilichzon said. “Nothing is sharp in Ibiza, it is a very smooth atmosphere.”
      The same rounded forms are repeated in the tables and chairsThe circle idea is continued through the use of celestial motifs, with brass suns and iron moons scattered across the hotel calling to mind the sunny days and celebrated nightlife of the island as well as its more spiritual side.
      The bedrooms have a playful feel, with chunky Playdough Stools by Diego Faivre, hand-made masks by Mallorcan artist Anna-Alexandra and wardrobe doors informed by jigsaw puzzles.
      “These unique and whimsical pieces bring a lot of character to the rooms,” Meilichzon said.
      Meilichzon previously completed the hotel’s Sabbaba restaurantSince founding her hospitality design studio Chzon in 2009, the designer has created a number of interiors for Experimental Group including outposts in London and Menorca alongside the Hotel Il Palazzo Experimental in Venice.
      More recently, Meilichzon was also responsible for overhauling a departure lounge at Charles de Gaulle Airport, incorporating her hallmark arches alongside fountains referencing iconic Parisian monuments.
      The photography is by Karel Balas.

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      Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor adds colour to 1980s Stockholm apartment

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      An all-lilac kitchen and bright geometric storage solutions feature in this colourful Stockholm apartment renovation by local studio Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor.

      The two-bedroom apartment, which is housed within a 1980s prefabricated concrete building in southern Stockholm, was transformed by the architecture studio for a family with four-year-old twins.
      Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor renovated the apartment for a family with twinsAs part of the renovation, Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor created a number of space-saving storage solutions. For example, the original floor plan featured an enclosed storage space in the middle of the apartment.
      The studio converted this into a trio of smaller storage units for the living room, the kitchen and the pantry. This was achieved by decreasing the size of the hallway but maintaining a corridor to the open-plan living room and home office.
      A see-through bookshelf and the studio’s bespoke Elephant sideboard feature in the living space”The original floor plan was robust and quite deep, with a load-bearing wall separating the living room and bedrooms into two halves,” studio co-founder Jesper Westblom told Dezeen.

      “We didn’t want to close off the spaces by making tiny enclosed rooms, but rather make light additions. The aim was to use small adjustments to make the rooms more defined spatially.”
      Red, yellow and blue tones feature throughout the apartmentA palette of hues created from a mix of the three primary colours – red, blue and yellow – features throughout the home, with the colours offset by white-painted flooring.
      Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor also chose a combination of pine wood and red medium-density fibreboard to create bespoke joinery and furniture.
      An all-lilac kitchen creates a statement accentThe kitchen was finished in a floor-to-ceiling shade of bluey lilac that also characterises a built-in geometric bench next to the dining table and a tall cupboard concealed behind a “secret door”.
      A large bookshelf divider decorated with organically shaped vases creates a partition between the open-plan living room and office area, with a burnt-orange shelving system providing extra storage.
      The office area can also be cordoned off with a curtain to create extra peace and quiet.
      Matching doors provide separate entrances to the twins’ shared bedroomThe architecture studio’s Elephant sideboard – a chunky blue table that owes its name to its sturdiness and colour – was also included in the living space.
      The family’s twins share one bedroom, which can be entered through two tall and narrow doors, adding a playful touch to the apartment.
      Small windows were also added above these doors to increase the natural light in the apartment.

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      Inside the twins’ bedroom is a sleeping zone and a play area, which are separated by a low wall to create a clear delineation between the two spaces.
      “One of the biggest – and most fun – challenges was to make every single space useful and effective and make room for both play and recovery,” reflected Westblom.
      Subtle storage solutions define the apartmentWestblom and Robin Krasse founded their eponymous Stockholm-based studio in January 2021.
      The firm previously completed the interiors for a local hair salon, which takes cues from architect Carlo Scarpa’s geometric designs and the muted colours of 1920s swimming baths.
      The photography is by Jesper Westblom.

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