Sofia Sky | Row House | Volen Valentinov

Our design team were invited to rethink a 3 floor, moutain row house in Simeonovo District, Sofia. The plan is divided into three levels. The living room is located on the first floor of the home along with the kitchen and outdoor garden, while the second floor houses the guest room, walk-in wardrobe and children room. Master bedroom with back to back bathroom and huge 25sq.m terrace takes the third floor. The overall interior is set on a base tone of hardwood and stairs are planned to dissect this irregular space into zones that serve different functions. The warmth of hardwood surface creates a welcoming feel from the entrance and marks a playground for the warm light. The living & dining area and multifunctional studio are placed along the wall with two large, top to bottom windows, where the family enjoys dining, reading and working in the comfort of natural lighting.  

“The request was to realize the impossible: increase the living space without touching the structure, create 3 bathrooms instead of the 2 existing, preserve the number of beds, 3 bedrooms on 2 floors, all while maintaining separate circultaions for each.“ 

To maximise the rather tight and constricted space, we chose to inverse the way of seeing it. Rather than trying to fit the furniture into the house, we decided to fit the apartment into the furniture! However absurd this may seem, it immediately alleviated all the constraints linked to laying out tight spaces. A large wooden build-in furniture runs through the entire space of the first floor. From food starage in the kitchen through book shelfs into livingroom. It links all functions, creates a large living space and opens up the panoramic views on the mountains. This furniture-wall incorporates all the necessities of daily use interlocked into one another. Seating next to storage, playing a piano next to the large window, reading while facing a garden, cooking is pleasent and easy next to a large food storage. It is the furniture element that defines the space. It is no longer cumbersome, rather it frees up a generous space around it and maximises it’s primary functionalities.

Photography:
Candelero Photoshoot