MU23
Interior design: Rumen Evstatiev
Photo: Studio Blenda
Words: Elena Sergova
Perhaps the people who are willing to sacrifice functionality for the sake of beauty are the true esthetic affiliandos. However, with the proviso that it is not just a selfish gesture, but an inner necessity. This is the case with this compact apartment in the center of Sofia (80 m²), whose owner prefers to create more space for the love of design and art than to show off the kitchen. For some, the kitchen is the heart of the apartment, for others it is divided into dozens of furnishing and decorative elements that tell the story of the owner.
The challenge in transforming this space, which flirts with contrasts, is to unite the segmented small spaces of beams and columns to transform them into a display of the good life. The most spacious room, the living room, is transformed into an office by sliding doors. Close them and the room acts as a living room with a folding bed behind the desk. You don't need to compromise as long as you have the vision to bring your ideas to a coherent result. If you can convey all your desires smoothly and organically, then you're ready to have them all.
Entering the living room done along with the dining area, the feeling is as if you have fallen into a space decorated by Mondrian (if he was born 100 years later and worked as interior designer). The contrasting colors and textures in the living room give a relaxing feeling by the predominantly blue range, and the fluid form of the sofa, an absolute design icon from Tacchini, shelter the hectic mind. Despite the maximalism in colors and shapes, the interior still follows the laws of minimalism. Only by one movement the kitchen gets covered by the white paneling, tightening all the hidden wardrobes and cupboards. The play with volumes and shapes is also carried in the air through a neon lamp above the dining room. While the interior brings together design icons, the overall feeling is of a space that knows “le joie de vivre” and definitely doesn't take itself too seriously. Perhaps Mondrian approached his work with the same feeling, creating the minimalist icon of art from a few basic colors and lines.
The assigned office space challenges with a contrasting tone that gives the feeling that the interior was designed for a person who likes to be the daredevil of life. The HAY system of low profile cabinets and shelves can "grow" with the needs of its owner. Against the backdrop of the painting that is part of the client’s personal collection, Tom Dixon's S-Chair looks like an exclamation of the most extreme levels of the soul. From the opposite end of the room, the body and steel shade of the Shogun lamp seem to provoke the viewer - just like the “larger than life” personalities do. They are the people who are ready to "grab the devil by the tail" (Daredevils), and the interiors in which they live should not be forgotten.
The God in the details hides in the bathroom - an iridescence effect in the glass is changing its colors depending on which side you look at it. It resembles a soap bubble, which may burst into many particles, but even so, it will exist in its full spectrum. If really the best ideas are born in the shower, then why not create a framework for our ideas as if made from bubbles.
"Sure thing, but how big exactly your ideas are," a Daredevil would ask.
