Contrast creates design divide
Architects create opposing yet complementary spaces in 484-square-foot residence
When architects were asked to transform an apartment in an old part of the city of Vilnius, Lithuania, they went with two different designs. One for daytime, the other with a peaceful, more relaxed atmosphere for night.
The two-bedroom, 484-squarefoot Bazillion apartment takes its name from its location on Bazilijonai St. As well as combining day and night, architects also blend the feel of the old world with modern design.
An angled, terra-cotta-tiled wall dividing the rectangular room creates a set of irregular, interconnected rooms inspired by the old town’s nooks. The wall also has a fireplace, which connects the two areas and creates atmosphere.
In creating the nighttime area, architects have gone for a monastery feel, with the bedroom, bathroom and hallway located in one area. Dark clinker tiles (clay-fired at high temperatures, under high pressure), black furniture, mirrors and a painted concrete ceiling are used to achieve serenity and warmth.
The living and dining areas of Bazillion apartment are situated amidst white walls, a painted concrete ceiling and white-painted oak floor. Hanging kitchen cabinets, minimalist lines and modest furniture create a modern, light-filled space.
Bazillion apartment took six weeks to design, six months to build and was completed in 2016. It cost $73,000 — which includes the custom-made furniture.
Architect Aidas Barzda, at YCL Studio in Vilnius, answers a few questions about Bazillion apartment: What inspired you in this design?
The apartment had to be conceptual, non-standard, with a strong character.
To achieve this we looked at what was strongest in the Old Town apartments, their spirit and what they shared with residents. From previous projects in Vilnius and in Strasbourg, France, we enjoyed the calm, monochromatic approach to the Old Town apartment designs, so that was what we did in the Bazillion apartment, as well. What is the atmosphere of the neighbourhood?
It’s an Old Town spirit. Small narrow streets, some houses are abandoned, some are renovated, everything is little with soft edges and cosy squares. The apartment continues the feeling of the Old Town. How did you create two different moods?
In the night zone, we wanted to use a natural substance that would cover everything, from floor through walls to ceiling. The red bricks are the most inspired — as a conceptual interpretation of the Old Town and, in our opinion, the best material that emphasizes calm space.
In the day zone, we wanted to create a bright and clean area, like a new notebook page for ideas to fill through the day, to note all the conversations with friends, to draw with words and not to be distracted by anything. So, we took white everywhere, from floor to ceiling, to bounce and to fill the day zone with light. What were the design and construction challenges?
We were very lucky since the client trusted us a lot.
We had unlimited freedom in design and that was the biggest challenge: to have unlimited freedom is sometimes too difficult.
So we had to create some rules to follow and create an interior that suits the mood of the area and the house. Tell us about the fireplace.
The apartment itself is very open. This freedom of space creates an illusion of walking down the street in the Old Town. The see-through fireplace between the zones became like something you see while walking down the street in the evening, and looking through a window. This became the cosy Old-Town focus in the overall concept of the apartment.