The Object élevé is an oak and black steel installation commissioned by designer Just Haasnoot for his home in Wassenaar, an affluent suburb in The Hague.
It combines storage and access to the upper floor via a series of open frame boxes.
Handmade in Mieke Meijer‘s Eindhoven workshop, the industrial nature of the piece sits in deliberate contrast to the pale blue walls and muted tones of the residence that was built in the 1930s.
“The construction, built from both standing and suspended parts, largely consists of open frames allowing the design’s transparent character to be maintained,” explained Meijer.
The staircase is based on the samba system of alternating steps to allow the staircase to rise at a steep angle, while still remaining comfortable to walk up and down.
The lower half of the steps features wide pieces of oak integrated into the shelving and storage unit. These also serve as spaces for plants and ornaments and form part of a desk.
Halfway up the steps however, the design and purpose of the stairs changes. The steps become smaller, and form part of a suspended structure.
It features a large flat piece of oak that acts as a shelf and display, and space for a makeshift bookcase.
Beside the desk sits a cupboard with three shelves slotted into the lower structure to complete the piece.
“We were inspired by the photographs of Bernd and Hilla Becher,” said Meijer. “The Bechers’ black and white photography is renowned for the systematic photo series of industrial buildings that closely resemble each other in function and design. We reconstructed these buildings into functional installations.”
The Dutch design studio also took inspiration from the German photographers’ work in one of their earlier pieces, the Winding Tower 01 table.
A combined bookshelf and staircase creates a small library with interchangeable shelving at this apartment in the Ukraine by architect Alex Bykov (+ slideshow).
Architect Alex Bykov renovated the Kiev apartment’s interior around the owner’s request for a library, raising it on a small podium in one corner of the living room to maximise storage space.
The apartment only has two doors separating rooms, as each space flows into the next in a looping arrangement.
“The concept of movement appears through the spatial design areas such as the bedroom, the lounge, the library and the bathroom surrounding the kitchen – the historical symbol of the family’s heart,” said architect Alex Bykov.
“You can move from one room to another in an interrupted circle, since the spaces flow smoothly into each other,” he added.
Bykov shifted the doorways back to their original positions, after discovering they had been previously blocked, and retained the existing brickwork.
The exposed pastel-coloured bricks line the interior walls, and are joined by decorative lamps by fellow Ukrainian designers Anna Poppvych and Vasyliy Butenko and low-hung ceiling lamps by Artemide.
Polished timber floorboards are laid throughout the flat, while new partitions and the library are built from chunky chipboard panels. All the furniture is designed and built by the architect.
A skylight is positioned above the bathroom and is screened by wooden louvres that filter light into the room.
Usually they say that the successful interior is a beneficial combination of environmentally friendly contemporary decorative materials, design furniture, sanitary equipment and home appliances. Nevertheless, the interior of an apartment located in the heart of Kiev’s historical district has a much more valuable treasure – an idea.
A young creative couple had been looking for an architect, when their designer friend recommended them Alex Bykov. The couple was preparing for a wedding and decided to spend their honeymoon in the renewed apartment.
After a fruitful discussion of suggestions and proposals the concept of “constant motion” was born. Furthermore the concept became the main vector of planning design and stylistic solutions of the interior.
The concept of movement appears through spacial design areas such as the bedroom, the lounge, the library and the bathroom surrounding the kitchen, the historical symbol of the “family’s heart”. So you can move from one room to another in an uninterrupted circle, since the spaces flow smoothly into each other.
The windows face to the south-east side ,which is why the living room and the bedroom are filled with an early morning’s golden shine. The interior has a cosy warm colouring due to the pastel brick walls, the natural texture of wood and soft furniture.
During the process of dismantling it was discovered that the doorways had previously been blocked . Alex decided to shift the doorways by using the original bricks with an authentic early 20th century mark. The brick was bought from junkmen and carefully laid into the living room wall.
The built-in library – a primary wish of the couple, was designed to house the family library. The library has a podium, which was designed to provide more space for storage. It was decided to make two types of shelves for the library; thus this flexible solution gives an opportunity to change the geometric pattern of shelves in the future.
Alex also designed all the furniture and prepared individual work drawings. The woodwork was made from low cost materials. Artificial lighting is dim, warm and comfortable.
Concept of movement in the apartment
Decorative lamps are by Ukrainian designers Anna Popovych and Vasyliy Butenko; the ceiling lamps, which were presented to the newly-weds by close friends as a wedding gift, are by ‘Artemide’.
Bespoke wrought-iron products also immediately grab attention: the legs for the coffee and dining tables, a mirror in the bedroom, a sleeve for the kitchen hood and a window.
The latest residence to feature a combined staircase and bookshelf is this loft conversion in north London by British design studio Craft Design. (+ slideshow)
Craft Design renovated a former office to create the open-plan residence, inserting a central bathroom that separates the kitchen and dining area from the living room, while also providing the framework for a first-floor bed deck.
The gabled end wall is covered with bookshelves, providing storage for three different areas. The staircase is formed from a series of extruded shelves and leads up from the living room to the mezzanine sleeping area.
“The idea was to maximise the sense of space as well as keeping a simple and efficient layout,” said designers Hugo D’Enjoy and Armando Elias.
The designers kept to a simple palette of wooden flooring with white walls and fittings, allowing the owner to add colour by displaying books and other collected items.
London based Studio Craft Design led by Hugo D’Enjoy and Armando Elias has transformed a loft space in Camden into a bright and dynamic living-working space.
Originally used as an open plan office space, the challenge was to convert the property into a bespoke and innovative environment that efficiently and creatively responds to the demands of living in London.
3D diagram
In response to the brief, the idea was to maximise the sense of space as well as keeping a simple and efficient layout. The solution successfully achieved this with the introduction of a single volume located central to the loft where all the services are accommodated. Detached from the facades and ceilings this element has divided the open plan into several spaces for different uses such as kitchen-dinning, living room, storage, bathroom and a mezzanine for the sleeping and working area.
The 4.5 m height party wall and roof eaves have been fully used with shelves and storage, which serve the whole space. The stair to access the mezzanine level was cleverly integrated into this single piece of furniture. The rest was about keeping a simple palette in terms of materials and colors to allow the owner collection of objects, art and books give the wall an authentic personality to the space.
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