White, beige and geometry are the first three terms that come to mind when we look at photos of this family house on the outskirts of Moscow. Ruetemple architectural studio transformed the development project completely, leaving only the external walls and freely influencing the layout of partition walls.

The common family space of the ground floor and the first floor is centred around the central staircase structure, which constitutes the vertical axis of the composition. As residents spend most of their time together, architects have opened the ground floor to create a spacious interior intended for rest, meals, work and play. The first floor was designated to accommodate three small but bright bedrooms.

These are just dry facts. But why do these interiors appeal to us so much? Because despite their simplicity, it is clear that it is a family home – bright, spacious and very interesting. An example of a magnificent idea are nets hanging on the upper floor, which secure the holes in the ceiling (which brighten the space of the ground floor), and on the other hand are used as hammocks, where you can jauntily throw yourself during play or just lie and read a book. We also like the consistency of using geometric motifs throughout the house. Take a look at the space of the ground floor, where even the lamp hanging over the table perfectly relates to the structure of the stairwell.

White and beige are the main colours that make up the house. White walls and wooden floors are an obvious combination. However, if we add to them birch and beech furniture integrated into the interior, wooden wall in the kitchen, granite tiles in the bathroom, differences between floors, unique staircase, vertical radiators of a loft nature, geometry and the aforementioned nets – we get a truly unique, family interior. The Mother MAG gives this project two thumbs up.

KOMENTARZ ARCHITEKTA

DAGMARA RAPIŃCZUK

Graduate of Architecture at Gdansk University of Technology and Interior Architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk. She gained experience in many Tri-City design offices. Currently she runs her own company called Pani Architekt. She loves beautiful interiors and interesting people. In her spare time, she is passionate about travelling and cooking.

Photo by Hanna Połczyńska

The house in Moscow demonstrates the purity of form. In my opinion this is the most important thing that architects wanted to emphasize and convey through this project. The space is very orderly, and its division is both clear and clean. The living area is located on the ground floor of the building, whereas the night time area is on the upper floor. These two areas are connected in two ways. First of all, through a very interesting staircase, which dominates the whole interior. Secondly, through nets hanging in the horizontal and oblique holes in the ceiling, which function
not only as protection, but also an interesting place for rest and relaxation.

Cohesion was achieved through consistent use of materials throughout the interior. You can’t go wrong with the combination of white, beige and gray. Ubiquitous geometry also adds to the experience of harmony. Sharp cuts were softened by the introduction of wood. Natural materials always lead to the feeling of warmth and cosiness.
The interior of the house is beautiful, however, in my opinion it’s a bit too sterile, rigid. The place where a family resides should be able to live, change and develop. In my opinion, closing this space in a geometric framework has obscured this changeability a bit, although I admit that in a very stylish way;) Yet, if I were to evaluate this project only in terms of design, it would get an A+!

While looking at interior photos, remember that they do not present the full picture, because they look different on a daily basis – toys scattered on the floor, shopping bags in the kitchen, sweaters hung on the chair after coming back from work. We won’t see any of this in the photos, and it also changes the reception of a given space.

Leading Architects: Alexander Kudimov, Daria Butahina
Location: Moscow, Russia
Year of Completion: 2017
Area: 160 m 2

A hundred years old school building in the centre of Amsterdam was converted in 2014 into 10 modern apartments by Standard Studio. Each apartment has a different layout and was designed using different materials, according to the wishes of the residents. What they have in common is the use of modern solutions such as solar technology, above-grounds heat pumps or a green roof. Thanks to them the building demonstrates minimal emissions. Sounds interesting, but only one of the apartments made a big impression on us.

The apartment we want to show you has been designed for a 4-person family. The teachers room and one of the classrooms have been converted into spacious living room and bedrooms. A great advantage of this space are high ceilings that made the construction of the mezzanine possible. Mezzanines allowed for the separation of the daytime, family area of the apartment from the private section and provide connection of 5 elements: living room, kitchen, dining room, children’s playroom and a small studio into one common family space of 100 m2.

If you are wondering where a family of four keeps all the unnecessary things every day, because the interiors in the photos look so immaculate, the answer is simple. Storage under the stairs, including specially designed furniture which provides space for family stuff as well as children’s toys. This storage space can also serve as seats and a play area. Smart move.

How was the school building turned into a family apartment? Concrete floors and steel stairs are a nod to the history of this building. The plywood from which most of the furniture is made reflects trendiness, warmth and snugness. Together they form a unique family apartment, ideal for a modern and conscious family of 4 in Amsterdam.

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Dagmara Rapinczuk

Graduate of Architecture at Gdansk University of Technology and Interior Architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk. She gained experience in many Tri-City design offices. Currently she runs her own company called Pani Architekt. She loves beautiful interiors and interesting people. In her spare time, she is passionate about travelling and cooking.

 Photo by: Hanna Polczynska

Renovating old buildings and converting them into premium apartments is a trend that has been present on the market for years. It’s increasingly popular throughout Europe.

The apartment located in the old school in Amsterdam presents the purity of modern shapes combined with historical elements of the building. It’s a meeting place for icons of world design, such as the fabulous EPC DSR chair by Charles & Ray Eames, along with furniture from the last century: 1980s chests of drawers or an old piano. The well-thought-out plan allows for clear separation of daytime and night time sections. The omnipresent whiteness of walls gives the feeling of unlimited space. Despite its sterility, the apartment feels cosy, thanks to its wooden elements and potted plants. Magnificent use of space under the stairs to create a storage room is particularly noteworthy, and as evidenced by my conversations with customers, there is never enough of such space. The element that absolutely captivated my attention is a small freestanding fireplace. It matches the living room perfectly. Its task in this case is not to heat the entire apartment, but to ease the cold evenings spent in the family.

In my opinion, the only thing that could be improved are cabinets in the kitchen, which hang quite high. Even if they perform purely aesthetic function, as can be seen in the attached photos, they will need to be cleaned from time to time, especially since the dust will be visible from the mezzanine. Fortunately, we have inventions like the ladder – it will come in handy 🙂

Leading architects: Wouter Slot & Jurjen van Hulzen @ Standard Studio
Location: Elisabeth Wolffstraat, Amsterdam, Holandia
Year of completion: 2014
Area: 100 m2