Context 

Apartment 52 is located in a typical Sofia residential building from the 70s – a long brick building, facing north and south, which overlooks the South Park.

The apartment was found in very poor, but original for the 70s condition, with preserved moldings, ceiling rosettes and single lighting fixtures. The compact apartment of nearly 70 m2 consisted of an entrance hall with a bathroom, a living room with a dining room to the south, another small corridor that connects an undersized bedroom and a kitchen to the rest of the apartment.

Solution

The proximity to the park and the view of the green “forest” to the south inspired the creation of a compact, yet spacious and light dwelling, where the use of natural materials emphasizes the feeling of being close to nature and associates aesthetically with the context. The materials used are oiled wood, lime plaster and natural stone.

The living room in the south has been converted into a large bedroom, while the old bedroom and the kitchen are united in one room with a northwest exposure. The cornices and ceiling rosettes have been restored from solid plaster and fitted in their original places and the original door to the bedroom has been reproduced. Old lamps are recycled and transformed into new lighting fixtures. The history of the residence reminds of itself through these small details, that create context in the otherwise simple, bright and contemporary interior.

The apartment is typical for the construction of the 50s – dark entrance, two rooms oriented to the south, one of which has a balcony, one room oriented north, a small toilet and closet, with a total area of 100 sqm. The nearness to the building of the Satirical Theather Sofia creates a distinctive character of the space, but also blocks the south sun, so the biggest challenge was to create bright open spaces, working with the existing granite tiles, lighting and the kitchen furniture. 

Solution 

The rich color, texture and architecture of the monolithic façade of the Satirical Theatre, marked by rhythmic vertical grid, it is an integral part of the interior of the apartment and an inspiration for the future solutions. We created living spaces with an open plan, so the light penetrates through the living room directly into the kitchen and indirectly through the glass brick wall of the bedroom’s boudoir. 

The elements used for the architecture of the home – white walls, built-in furniture in white, hardwood floor, stone, glass wall and discreet lighting, are the background for the ever-changing dynamic light, hued by the colorful facade of the Satirical Theater. An accent is created in each room – a color spot in constant dialogue with the context. 

This project is a product of the interaction between the architects Denica and Emil Angelov and the client – Eka Bichinashvili, who is an artist and fashion designer. The interior design itself was not fixed to the initial visualization from the very beginning, but it has been in constant development over time as an intuitive and creative process that provided enough room for experimentation.

The existing granite tiles are reused on the floor of the entrance hall. From the entrance hall, the granite enters the bathroom, both on the floor and on the walls. The monolithic character is reinforced with a handmade concrete sink, covered again in granite tiles. The walls in coarser plaster and the strip lighting above the mirror complement the raw character of the bathroom. 

The elements used for the architecture of the home – white walls, built-in furniture in white, hardwood floor, stone, glass wall and discreet lighting, are the background for the ever-changing dynamic light, hued by the colorful facade of the Satirical Theater. An accent is created in each room – a color spot in constant dialogue with the context. 

This project is a product of the interaction between the architects Denica Indzhova-Angelova and Emil Angelov and the client – Eka Bichinashvili, who is an artist and fashion designer. The interior design itself was not fixed to the initial visualization from the very beginning, but it has been in constant development over time as an intuitive and creative process that provided enough room for experimentation.