Bubble-Gum home | at2 architecture

'Bubble-Gum home'

Typology: Renovation of residential apartment

Location: Thessaloniki, Greece

Area: 65 m²

Year: 2021

Interior design: at2.architecture

Agnes Tzouma, Thanasis Tsourekas

Photographs: Rio photography

Copy: Valia Giannarou

The Project:

65m² apartment in the center of Thessaloniki, which consists of a living room with kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Mission:

Renovation of the apartment. The main request of the tenants was the use of playful, pop colors, to upgrade the spaces of the house, but also to maintain most of the architectural elements of the apartment as they are. The desire of the tenants was to capture their passion for colors in the interior of the apartment.

Motto:

For At2 Architecture, architecture is directly related to scenography: designing a space is like unfolding a story. As in any story, the protagonists have the first role - who, of course, are none other than the tenants of the apartment! It is non-negotiable, then, that the story is defined by the occupants - with the architectural team responsible for building the ideal environment for the new narrative to unfold.

Inspiration:

The design of At2 Architecture aim to create a space that evokes emotions in the tenants and visitors of the apartment - such as security, joy, surprise and uniqueness. For the architectural team, the concept of luxury is associated with the creation of emotions - and less the use of expensive materials.

For this project, the architectural team drew inspiration from the work of world-renowned director Pedro Almodóvar, known for the strategic use of colors in his films.

The aesthetics of Almodóvar is an elegant appreciation of Pop Art, where the color sets the emotional tone of each scene. In his works, Almodovar elevates the color to the protagonist of each scene, presenting a masterclass in visual language.

The Steps:

The architectural team started with the installation of a wooden floor throughout the apartment to give warmth and homogeneity to the space. Then, they relied on the use of strong colors that would define the new "narrative" of the apartment.

In interior decoration, colors are a way of expression: one can capture the aesthetics but also elements of his character. The addition of bright colors is a trend observed in recent years in modern homes, where colors give life and have the ability to transform a space - simply by their existence!

More specifically, the starring color in the public spaces of the house is pink, with the rest of the spaces in shades of blue.

The first space you see when you enter the apartment is the kitchen and living room. The basic shade chosen for this space is barragán pink, as it gives a note of freshness.

Why Pink?

In chromo therapy, the pink environment is recommended for people who need to calm down. Pink is considered to promote intimacy and discourage aggression, both against ourselves and others. The color pink calms, soothes and is believed to aid digestion - in part, which is why it was chosen for the kitchen area.

Specifically, the pink shade of barragán pink has a high content of red, transforming simple pink into a more energetic, pleasant and modern one.

Why Blue?

Blue is considered the most popular color. Practically all the associations with the color blue are positive - sea, calm, sky, serenity - making it look great and peaceful.

The navy blue chosen is considered to impose respect, devotion and integrity. It has been observed that gazing at the blue reduces the pulse, stabilizes the rhythm of respiration and temporarily lowers the blood pressure. For this reason, there is a belief that time flows more slowly in blue spaces.

Practically speaking, the color blue can make a space look bigger. Entering a deep blue space, the visitor feels calm, refreshed and balanced - which are important goals, especially in such an urban environment.

The Kitchen area and the Living room:

The colors used in the kitchen area are barragán pink and white. The light pink offers the feeling of calm in the space, while the electric element of barragán pink gives the necessary brightness to the kitchen.

The inspiration for the design was the work of the Mexican architect, Luis Barragán, who is considered to have painted modernism ... pink! The famous architect believed that the ideal space should contain elements of magic, peace and mystery.

Barragán pink was applied to the walls and kitchen cabinets. With this choice, the kitchen is "digested" in the environment and lets the simple terrazo mosaic tile dominate the space, which is accentuated by linear hidden lighting and gives a vintage aesthetic to the space.

The living room area is combined with the kitchen and colors, with barragán pink and white dominating the living room.

The living-dining room benefits from large openings that flood the space with natural light. Thus, the bold color tones are highlighted by the brightness, while the timeless white alternates its shades according to the games of the sun.

The lighting of the open plan kitchen and living room was specially studied. Linear LED luminaires were used in parallel axes for uniform illumination, providing sufficient light where needed, such as for cooking or gathering for lunch around the family table.

Linear hidden lighting was also installed, which is able to transform a space into an environment of relaxation and rest.

The Corridor and the Rooms:

The color blue dominates here.

The separation of private and public areas of the apartment was intensified by the use of colors.

While public areas are places to meet other people, private areas are places to relax. For this reason, the color that is perceived as the most calm and peaceful was used in the bedrooms.

More specifically, two tones of blue were used in the bedrooms, dividing the walls into two parallel zones. The dark blue was placed at the bottom of the walls, where there is gravity from the furniture and functional elements in the space, while the light blue was placed in the upper zone of the walls, which is considered the space of creativity and decoration.

Why Bubble-Gum?

Bubble gum: the word has retro echoes, while bringing to mind childhood memories, joy, play and carefree. The Pink that was placed in the spaces of the house, together with the calm Blue and the timeless White, bring a sense of the past, without identifying themselves as vintage.
 
Somehow, the old and the new get married and .. live happily in their renewed Bubble-Gum home!