The Art of Design Issue 22 2016 | Page 23

23 ‘Making the most of the light throughout the day also meant the interiors scheme was predominantly created in natural and light colours’ added Susan Knof, ‘from the pale-wash of the timber flooring to the pure white of the kitchen. To ensure the apartment had personality accents, strong and punchy colour was also introduced, especially for the children’s bedrooms and playroom and the scheme’s stunning ensuites in purple and green mosaic.’ The Brief The brief from the client was to merge two existing properties (an east and west apartment) to create a single, open living environment that allowed for an unobstructed kitchen, dining, living and entertaining space, where full advantage could be taken of the views, whilst also providing private areas for the master bedroom and children’s areas. Interior Design Language ‘On entering the apartment, the language of the interior scheme is immediately apparent’, commented Susan Knof. ‘The elegant, yet subdued, use of soft natural materials greets you in the primary entrance hall. As you proceed past the natural-dyed, grey-veneered walls, the open space is subtle and sophisticated and allows the gorgeous mountainous natural environment beyond to take centre stage.’ Architectural Challenges From an interior architectural standpoint, the main challenge of the project was the original planning of the overall building – especially the existing plumbing stacks, which allowed little possibility for exploration of different bathroom locations and the new design very much had to work around that. Structurally, there were also given core walls that had to remain in place. In addition, the full height windows also offered limited space for new ceiling and lighting logistics, and, most restrictive of all, the M&E services were planned along the perimeter full height glazing walls, seemingly blocking the views and the implementation of sheer or black-out curtaining. This was overcome by re-coordinating the mechanical layouts and plans, so that the air handling units were brought inside the internal core walls and concealed in custom joinery units. ‘A very important aspect of this scheme’, Susan Knof explained, ‘was using materials in such a way as to allow for individuality whilst still adhering to the client’s budget. I always seek to make use of every available space and have beautifully-integrated furniture with a real attention to detail. It’s what really makes the difference. The small intimate spaces that get used on a daily basis do not go unnoticed. It’s my intention to make the user feel special every time the apartment is in use.’