The Guard
Apartment renovation
Location: Budapest
Area: 85 sqm
Project year: 2017
The Guard flat perches atop Kissvábhegy, standing watch over an extravagant view of Budapest.
The guardians themselves wanted a home that was clean and functional, inspired by Danish modern minimalism. We worked together to remodel their compact family flat into a space both airy and cozy -- a perfect contrast to the mesmerizing view.
We began by cleaning up the space. Opening up smaller rooms, we made space for the master bedroom, kid’s room, and another ‘back pocket’ bedroom. The biggest spatial challenge this time around was to shoehorn two fully functional bathrooms into a 10m2 space.
When it came time to design the interior, the color choice first fell to overwhelmingly slate hues -- but covering the space in 50 shades of gray visually wouldn’t work. Luckily, our guards revealed that they liked blue and light pink shades as well. We combined our final tri-color palette with warm oak panels to bring personality and life to the home.
We used blue, light pink, and oak accents to warm up a clean, monochrome base.
A vintage Danish teak sideboard and custom oak door anchor the bright white hallway -- we personally sewed the blue textile door backdrop to match with the couch.
Muuto lamps and Normann Copenhagen chairs bring cornerstones of modern Scandinavian design into the picture.
The wall-length shelving unit plays with different depths, accommodating anything from books to gear to seasonal clothing.
The few living room elements perfectly fit a family of three, and we added a wool 3D rug to cozy it up.
We kept the parent’s tiny bathroom minimal with clean lines and neutral colors, subtly spiking the gray and white palette with a playful reflection of the master bedroom.
The living room we merged with an open kitchen and eating area, and the ordered area is a perfect balance to the outside panorama.
The kid’s bathroom got both the bathtub and the washing machine -- not that you’ll ever spot the latter.
We hacked the smooth-paneled IKEA cupboards in the American-style kitchen by adding stone countertops and oak panels.
