This Kredytowa Street apartment, renovated by Polish designers Maciej Kurkowski and Maciej Sutuła, was once part of an old tenement house that was built in 1912. Throughout the years the seven story building lost its crowning and attractive facade thanks to a 1950's wave of modernization, and the structure became a much plainer four story affair. In 2013 plans were put into action to adopt rooms on the upper floor as a place of two uses; an apartment and conference room, plus complimenting social area, were designed on a modest budget from investors who were adamant that the raw feel of the original interiors should be preserved.
The overhaul covers a total area of 216 square meters, and embraces a very industrial style décor with black painted electrical ducts and simplistic lighting. Light gray is the color of choice throughout this apartment, but unusually the pale coarse-grained plaster walls have been teamed with black ceilings for a striking effect, which also prevents the overall look from becoming a plain box. The monochromatic scheme was chosen carefully to create a calm backdrop for the introduction of large colorful works of abstract art at a later date, as the investors envisaged this as a living space where exhibitions could be held, as well as meetings and various events.
The existing parquet flooring has been painted white to keep the space feeling bright.
Welcome moments of warmth are brought with the introduction of birch plywood panels, which arrive in cool digitally fabricated triangular patterns.
Partition walls were removed in order to create the two required spaces, and within the two rooms the designers have carefully reinterpreted the same shapes and elements to create a connection between the pair.
In the work area, a large conference table is formed out of many smaller tables that can be broken apart to allow multiple working formations, including individual desks if the need arises.
The large space is given a sense of balance: where one corner of the room holds a private closed-off office, the opposite corner holds the social zone that is open with informal furniture for relaxed meet-ups.
