Welcome to our gallery featuring the thoroughly innovative Karakoy Loft project, a modern home design by Ofist.
This project is a penthouse in historic Istanbul, built for a 45 year old bachelor. The home faces an old Armenian church, with Galata Tower visible in the background.
The location was as important an influence on the design as the personality, lifestyle, and needs of the client. The Krakoy area stands at the heart of commerce in the vast city, an old neighborhood that’s recently grown more hip and culturally active. New art galleries, boutiques, restaurants, and hotels abound in the neighborhood.
The client wanted to be placed right in the middle of this hustle and bustle. His outdoors-loving personality informed the material choices and layout of the home. Thus, natural, neutral, comfortable, and practical are all words that describe the philosophy of this build.
The structure of the home is vast and open, letting in ample amounts of light and offering dazzling views of the cityscape.
Original small window openings gave way to an expansive and open facade, with folding windows that slide the length of the building. This effectively transforms the living room into a sheltered balcony, making up for the lack of one. A large skylight was inserted just below the peak of the roof pitch to provide extra light and views to this space.
The designers wanted to avoid an overly busy or fussy look, evaluating the entire home as a single spacial entity; the layout was designed for a single person’s use and the varied areas are intertwined. Thus, the refreshingly open design offers a singular style across the large space, free of the complication of having many distinct rooms.
One of the lengthy structural walls was designed for storage, using a simple grid system of iron rods that climb the full height and length of the house, spanning multiple segments of the building. A range of shelving units and useful accessories were designed to fit this framework, adding shelves, separators and hanging units.
The best part is that the homeowner may arrange and reconfigure this system however he prefers: as a library, kitchen storage, wardrobe, or anything else.
Natural iroko wood appears in broad swaths throughout the interior, unifying the structure and providing a natural warmth. The lower floor was crafted of irregular angled stones for a casual look. The rest of the mezzanine space is covered with cement-based material for a continuous feeling.
Several other innovative solutions and design elements appear throughout the home, including a floating staircase and the massive free standing hearth in the kitchen. We hope you enjoy viewing this richly detailed home as much as we do!
Design Team: Yasemin Arpac & Sabahattin Emir
Turning the opposite direction in the mezzanine area, we see a white contemporary sectional wrapping a stone surface coffee table with a trio of spherical ottomans. The black wall at this end is nearly uniformly plain, in contrast with the storage all at the opposite end of the home.
The kitchen island features a massive tabletop extension, becoming the dining table before reaching the free standing hearth. In the background, we can see the storage grid carrying kitchen supplies in this zone of the home.
The island itself features natural wood storage compartments built on casters, for easy roll-out access. The framework itself is metal with granite countertop.
The storage grid becomes easy access kitchen shelving within this area, hosting a series of shelves, hangers, and assorted compartments. This simple industrial element offers both meticulously matched style and function.
Many of the appliances and kitchen equipment pieces fit into the design theme, with chrome and gunmetal tones.
Viewing down the length of the kitchen, we can appreciate the intricate layering of materials, from metal and acrylic dining chairs to the well equipped stone and metal island, with built-in range and sink.
Artwork plays a prominent role in the home, spiking the neutral, natural, and industrial framework with color and passion. These pieces add a splash of energy and emotion to the utilitarian space.
You might have noticed this in the background. The staircase is indeed an intricate set of floating metal platforms, paired with a unique ceiling-mounted hand rail.
The ultra low profile and exotic nature of the staircase makes it both stand out and practically disappear in the home. Striking as its own design, the thin nature allows for clean visual lines right through the area.
As we can see from this angle, with only thin metal steps forming the staircase, we can see straight through into the kitchen and beyond.
Once upstairs, we can enjoy this overhead view of the living room, with the grey stone flooring making excellent contrast with the rich wood framework of the home. At top is a glimpse of the rich views afforded via the lengthy set of folding windows.
Anchored at the center of the iroko wood paneling that stretches from the lower wall to the peak of the ceiling, the set of massive skylights help with the “balcony” feel of the mezzanine, with abundant sunlight spilling directly down.
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On the far corner of this upper level, we see the wall storage framework become a true library, with book-sized shelving and uniform spacers for an organized layout.
Moving along to the center of the grid, we see more general storage items, including motorcycling gear, camping supplies, and other outdoors oriented equipment.
The primary bedroom sees the bed mounted on a concrete bock platform, commanding the center of the space. The rich wood panels of the exterior walls reach all the way to the peak above this room.
Sliding mirrored panels separate the bedroom from the primary bathroom and staircase. Large glass panels frame the entire space for a uniquely transparent look.
The bathroom sports a glass enclosed shower and a broad marble wall, making a novel combination of high tech and traditional materials.
From inside the broader bathroom area, a more private space is available behind smoked glass. A simple pedestal sink setup fits well with the industrial look of the home.
The lengthy vanity rests against the glass divide with the staircase, while the massive walk-in shower is backed by more of the marble wall. The entire area is in full view of the bedroom itself.
With this closer view we can see the singular mirror mounted on the glass wall overlooking the stairs. A wide vessel sink stands on the metal framed vanity, plumbing fully exposed.
When viewed from the staircase, we can see right through into the bathroom, while the smoked glass doors obscure the more private area of the space.
Returning to the mezzanine room, we see the folding windows fully retracted, allowing for a true balcony feel within the home.
At the center of the project, artwork and other items are displayed prominently in one of the only closed areas of the home.
Related Homes & Galleries You May Enjoy:
Sophisticated Zhao House By Awork | Incredible Contemporary Green Walls Project by SVOYA Studio | Eye-Popping Burgess Street Project by C.O.S. Design | Relaxing Basecamp Project by Johnston Architects PLLC
(c) 2015
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