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In metropolitan locales from Madrid to Moscow, strategically redesigned residences transcend their historical trappings and spatial limitations to tout the bright side of urban habitation.
Walk Through These Thoughtfully Redesigned Residences
Prague Apartment by Malfinio
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Photography by BoysPlayNice.
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Photography by BoysPlayNice.
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Photography by BoysPlayNice.
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Photography by BoysPlayNice.
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Photography by BoysPlayNice.
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Photography by BoysPlayNice.
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Photography by BoysPlayNice.
A Czech Functionalist–style tenement apartment in Prague was liberated from layers of anachronistic modifications to reveal its inherent light-and-openness, a quality preserved by grouping support functions (kitchen, baths, closets) behind an enfilade of operable MDF panels decorated with watercolor-y flourishes. The configuration keeps the L-shape space otherwise free-flowing, a tabula rasa for choose-your-own-adventure living that adapts to needs; for instance, the workout corner with gymnastics rings could later become a kid’s play spot. The sleeping area is partitioned via ceiling-hung linen curtains hand-painted with tones that complement etched-aluminum and stainless-steel details throughout.
New York Unit by Productora
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Photography by Rafael Gamo.
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Photography by Rafael Gamo.
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Photography by Rafael Gamo.
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Photography by Rafael Gamo.
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Photography by Rafael Gamo.
Floor-to-ceiling shelving powder-coated lemony RAL 1012 takes on epic proportions and myriad functions at the ground-floor SoHo loft. The steel unit’s depth was exploited by interspersing it with clerestories, nooks, and millwork so it could multitask as divider, storage, and sleeping mezzanine. Other features like terrazzo bathroom tile, a stainless-steel kitchen countertop, and wire-glass interior windows convey a more utilitarian character befitting the 1868 building, which is also home to an historic artist’s cooperative.
Barcelona Studio by Allaround Lab
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Photography by José Hevia.
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Photography by José Hevia.
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Photography by José Hevia.
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Photography by José Hevia.
This studio inside a century-old building in the Eixample district, known for its Antoni Gaudí edifices, is a conceptual exercise that posits home as “infrastructure defined by its potential for use,” notes the local firm, which sought to distill the essence of habitation into its basest constituent activities: cooking, sleeping/living, ablutions. Thus, the 1910 apartment’s original rabbit warren of rooms was converted into an unprogrammed open layout—adjustable via sliding panels from a one-to a two-bedroom—centering on a white-box kitchen marked by a swath of ceramic tile that looks like a flying carpet launching into midair.
Moscow Apartment by SKNPYL
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Photography by Varvara Toplennikova.
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Photography by Varvara Toplennikova.
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Photography by Varvara Toplennikova.
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Photography by Varvara Toplennikova.
In lieu of solid walls, two rows of pivoting oak doors separate this apartment into zones for sleeping, lounging, and mealtime, which can be combined into one single sweep of space—a configuration that maximizes daylight from the living area’s bay window nook, sheathed in tile inspired by those cladding the public areas of the 1952 landmarked building. A flower-shaped epoxy-resin aperture funnels light from the living area into the windowless bathroom behind, while custom furniture channels the vibe of a mid-century Soviet academic flat.
Madrid Home by Studio Zooco
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Photography by Imagen Subliminal.
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Photography by Imagen Subliminal.
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Photography by Imagen Subliminal.
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Photography by Imagen Subliminal.
This semidetached house with deep 40-foot floor plate begged for an influx of daylight and better connection between its four levels, achieved via a skylit cutaway above the stairwell that acts as a lantern and a serene, reductive palette of pale oak millwork and white-painted walls. The same wood was used for functional elements in every room, from storage enclosures and the hearth to a slatted screen by the entry and a built-in breakfast nook.
Kraków Home by Butterfly Studio
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The quirky mise-en-scène of a creative couple’s cozy quarters reflects their yen for Wes Anderson films by way of nostalgia-tinged pastel hues—deployed in strategic color-blocking to establish rooms-within-rooms and hide elements like dropped ceilings. The décor balances fun touches, like the carefully styled (and stylized) accessories, with cleverly functional ones, such as a built-in cat-litter box and a kitchen island with retractable screen for projecting movies. The homeowners have a love of terrazzo, too, hence its recurrence throughout.