Architect: DO Architects
Type: Interior
Status: Completed
Area: 142 m²
Year: 2018
Location: Vilnius, Lithuania
Team: Andrė Baldišiūtė, Marija Steponavičiūtė, Vaiva Andriušytė, Ieva Marija Malinauskaitė, Vadim Babij, Sabina Daugėlienė, Gilma Teodora Gylytė
Photos: Laimonas Ciūnys
A former deprived warehouse, located in reviving station neighborhood in Vilnius, is now transformed into an apartment building with an architect’s studio on the ground floor. The project became an instance of how the low-value architecture may be transformed and inspire the process of revitalizing the street. Instead of demolishing the building DO ARCHITECTS decided to benefit from the existing qualities.
Private apartments located on the first floor are adapted for contemporary needs, offering inhabitants qualities of private entrances and terraces that enhance co-living.
While on the second floor of the building huge loft-type apartment with direct access to the rooftop terrace is designed. The interior design of the apartment benefits from the existing qualities, therefore exposed concrete columns and ceilings are preserved and become an important element of the interior. The roughness of exposed concrete is highlighted by the smoothness of the new walls.
The inner courtyard on one side and the continuous glazing wall on the other create a feeling of an in-between space. These elements not only fulfill space with light but also allow seasons to accompany the daily life of the family. The entrance door faces the inner courtyard, therefore the encounter with an exterior starts from the moment of entering the apartment.
Adjacent to the entrance zone is the common living space which is designed as the heart of the apartment. Expressing a loft-like image – kitchen, dining zone, the living room is a continuous space that through the accumulation of objects and textures becomes solid and cozy.
The patio which contains access to the rooftop terrace becomes an extension of the living space. Rather industrial interior is softened with elongated wooden walls, that enhance the relation with an exterior. Confronted with industrial materials, such as stainless steel, glass, and exposed concrete, the wooden wall brings warmth to the interior.
Precious art pieces, an important component of the interior, are placed in well-chosen spots throughout the apartment and therefore the user is constantly confronted with art. The white-painted brick wall at the end of the living space slightly separates the living room from the workroom and becomes a blank wall for the art in the interior. The bathroom, another rather semi-private space, is designed like a spacious room.
The bathroom is accessed from two sides through semi-transparent glass doors. The use of glass partitions allows to bring natural light into the room and enlarges it. In the deepest part of the apartment, bedrooms are placed, with an aim to have all the possible privacy. The compact size of the bedrooms reflects their main function of resting.
Interior project respects and benefit from the existing condition as well as reflects the idea of doing what is necessary and avoiding the redundant.
