The interior of an old flat in a tenement in Kraków was designed by Zofia Rostworowska. The architect skilfully emphasised the character of the space and juxtaposed it with new design.
The work on the project was all the more difficult because the interior was created not for specific users, but with renting in mind. The interior had to be fairly universal, original and without reaching for banal solutions.
The 90-square-metre flat is located in a pre-war tenement in the centre of Krakow. Its strengths are the high ceilings and the old parquet floor with woodwork.
The quite neat layout of the walls required relatively little interference to adapt the functions to the square metre. There is a large living room with access to a balcony, connected to the kitchen and dining room, two shapely bedrooms, a spacious entrance hall and a comfortable, functional bathroom, ” describes Zofia Rostworowska.
The renovation work uncovered lace polychromes. These became the starting point for the design of the living room. Originally, the room was almost half the size, so the original plan was to reproduce the paintings over the entire surface of the new interior. However, discussions with conservationists dissuaded the developer from this plan and it was decided not to disturb the composition of the ceiling. Hence the visible division into two parts of the living room.
The resulting division was further transferred to the functions. One half contains the kitchen and dining area, and the other the living room.
In the living room, the dialogue between the warm colours of the ceiling and the antique oak parquet floor and the shiny silver kitchen built-in plays an important role. ‘I tried to achieve this dialogue by matching the classic background with modern furnishings: carpet, furniture, lighting and decorations, ‘ adds the designer.
The paintings found in the bedroom next door were treated similarly. Only fragments were exposed and the rest was covered with plaster.
The smaller bedroom facing the courtyard was given contrasting blues against the juicy red. The juxtaposition was inspired by photographs from Barbara Jańczak’s exhibition ‘What you want explains who you are’. A kilim by the artist @morf.st graced one of the walls, and the juxtaposition was enhanced with red 1960s glass found at @sosenkohomedecor.
The atmosphere of the space is also created by the flooring in the hallway, which references the one in the staircase. The dark red of the Italian tiles was transferred to the ceiling, separating the hallway area from the rest of the entrance hall.
Another room worth noting is the bathroom. Small but comfortable, it is based on large porcelain stoneware tiles in contrast to the smooth surfaces of the walls, furniture and a custom-made mirror in a pleasant butter colour.
Key in this project was the confidence of the investor, who approaches renovations with great awareness and respect for historic buildings. Although the flat was intended as a rental, we did not take the easy route. I paid a lot of attention to the choice of materials and furnishings, both unique and more affordable, so that the project would close within the intended budget,” concludes Zofia Rostworowska.
design: Zofia Rostworowska
photos: Patryk Polewany
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