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Houzz Tour: Tropical Style by the Baltic Sea
A marine-themed getaway forgoes bedrooms in favor of living rooms with convertible sofas
The owners of this apartment in Svetlogorsk, in Russia’s Kaliningrad region on the Baltic Sea, wanted a bright and energizing interior. Given their clients’ bold intentions, designers Vladislava Peterson and Natalya Zabanova of Make Interiors went for the locally popular marine motifs, but with an unusual twist.
“Light blue shades with amber inserts are a cliché in the Baltic region, so the concept we proposed incorporates a tropical feel. Though the project was carried out over the winter, the apartment has a summery atmosphere all year round. We probably wanted to be in warm countries so badly that even the cold outside the windows couldn’t hold us back,” Peterson says.
“Light blue shades with amber inserts are a cliché in the Baltic region, so the concept we proposed incorporates a tropical feel. Though the project was carried out over the winter, the apartment has a summery atmosphere all year round. We probably wanted to be in warm countries so badly that even the cold outside the windows couldn’t hold us back,” Peterson says.
Apartment layout: entrance (1), bathroom (2), children’s room (3), living room (4) and kitchen-dining room (5)
Bedrooms are obviously missing from this floor plan. Since this apartment is used primarily as a vacation home, the owners preferred to have two living rooms with sleeper sofas instead.
Browse sleeper sofas
Bedrooms are obviously missing from this floor plan. Since this apartment is used primarily as a vacation home, the owners preferred to have two living rooms with sleeper sofas instead.
Browse sleeper sofas
Separate but Still Spacious
The layout would have allowed the kitchen and the living room to be combined, but the owners chose not to. To avoid a cramped feel with so many enclosed spaces, the designers separated the rooms with a floor-to-ceiling sliding door. The door has mirror inserts to visually expand the space even when closed.
Matched with the grass-toned wallpaper and curtains, the wooden slats of the sliding door recall bamboo and fit well into the tropical theme of the interior.
The layout would have allowed the kitchen and the living room to be combined, but the owners chose not to. To avoid a cramped feel with so many enclosed spaces, the designers separated the rooms with a floor-to-ceiling sliding door. The door has mirror inserts to visually expand the space even when closed.
Matched with the grass-toned wallpaper and curtains, the wooden slats of the sliding door recall bamboo and fit well into the tropical theme of the interior.
A carpenter from Lithuania made many of the furnishings and built-ins in the apartment, including the sideboards, dining table, kitchen cabinets and bathroom closet.
“In this job, every inch mattered, so we constantly discussed with the carpenter how to engineer all of the apartment’s built-ins so that everything would work correctly and comfortably. There is a lot of complex carpentry work here, and we wanted all the parts of the interior to come together into an integrated whole,” Zabanova says.
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“In this job, every inch mattered, so we constantly discussed with the carpenter how to engineer all of the apartment’s built-ins so that everything would work correctly and comfortably. There is a lot of complex carpentry work here, and we wanted all the parts of the interior to come together into an integrated whole,” Zabanova says.
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The wallpaper in the living room features palm trees and sets the tone for the tropical interior. Azure, banana and coral accents were inspired by tropical landscapes.
Sofa: Nimax; coffee table: Kare Design; rug: Louis De Poortere; curtains: Daylight; wallpaper: Cole & Son; find similar wallpaper
Sofa: Nimax; coffee table: Kare Design; rug: Louis De Poortere; curtains: Daylight; wallpaper: Cole & Son; find similar wallpaper
From Fireplace to Closet Substitute
The glassed-in niche just above the custom sideboard allows light to move freely between the living room and the hall.
“This horizontal insert has an interesting story. We first planned to put an ethanol fireplace here but then ruled it out. However, we did not want to give up on the niche, so we set it up to be both decorative and functional,” Peterson says.
Floor lamp: Tom Dixon; mirror: Louver Home; find sunburst mirrors
The glassed-in niche just above the custom sideboard allows light to move freely between the living room and the hall.
“This horizontal insert has an interesting story. We first planned to put an ethanol fireplace here but then ruled it out. However, we did not want to give up on the niche, so we set it up to be both decorative and functional,” Peterson says.
Floor lamp: Tom Dixon; mirror: Louver Home; find sunburst mirrors
A spacious cabinet hangs over the niche on the hallway side. This arrangement takes up about the same amount of space as a traditional closet would, but it adds more visual interest.
Console table: StyleCraft; Cookie chair: Infiniti; browse similar dining chairs
Console table: StyleCraft; Cookie chair: Infiniti; browse similar dining chairs
Marine motifs dominate the dining room and kitchen. The light fixture evokes the underwater world, and a custom painting of a seahorse hangs above the custom dining table.
Chandelier: Kare Design; painting: Tatiana Yakushenko
Chandelier: Kare Design; painting: Tatiana Yakushenko
Fish-scale relief tiles spice up the kitchen, which is otherwise more minimalist and features lots of natural wood. The tiles’ texture provides an interesting contrast to the cabinet fronts.
Bowl tiles: Stone Designs with Peronda
The Beautiful Wall Tiles You’ll Be Hankering After
Bowl tiles: Stone Designs with Peronda
The Beautiful Wall Tiles You’ll Be Hankering After
The kitchen’s bright yellow cabinets are a striking feature.
On another wall, smoked-glass cabinet doors add a sense of lightness while still partially concealing the cabinets’ contents.
Floor tiles: Equipe
On another wall, smoked-glass cabinet doors add a sense of lightness while still partially concealing the cabinets’ contents.
Floor tiles: Equipe
A Clever Cover-Up
The gas pipe running above the ceiling from the entrance through the hallway and kitchen posed the biggest problem during the renovation. The designers and contractors came up with the idea of concealing it with a dropped ceiling.
The vertical lines of the doors and cabinet fronts help make up for the lost height.
The gas pipe running above the ceiling from the entrance through the hallway and kitchen posed the biggest problem during the renovation. The designers and contractors came up with the idea of concealing it with a dropped ceiling.
The vertical lines of the doors and cabinet fronts help make up for the lost height.
The second room in the apartment is used as a children’s room.
All the windows in the south-facing apartment run from floor to ceiling, and though they make for a beautiful panorama, the sunlight can sometimes be way too bright. The designers chose a color scheme in shades of blue and white to visually cool down the interior.
In front of the window is a lounge area enhanced by wood-look paneling from floor to ceiling. It helps balance out the room’s elongated shape.
Sofa: Nimax; wall and floor lamps: Astro Lighting; rug: Louis De Poortere
All the windows in the south-facing apartment run from floor to ceiling, and though they make for a beautiful panorama, the sunlight can sometimes be way too bright. The designers chose a color scheme in shades of blue and white to visually cool down the interior.
In front of the window is a lounge area enhanced by wood-look paneling from floor to ceiling. It helps balance out the room’s elongated shape.
Sofa: Nimax; wall and floor lamps: Astro Lighting; rug: Louis De Poortere
It’s no coincidence that the children’s room has grown-up style. The owners wanted to be able to use it as a second living room.
The designers are convinced that it is important not to go small in small apartments, hence the oversize wall decor, paintings and furniture.
“It is a kind of visual deception: Large objects make it seem like the space is much bigger,” Zabanova says.
Beanbag chair: Ambient Lounge; coffee table: Kare Design; Tolomeo lamps: Artemide; curtains: Ridex; painting: Tatiana Yakushenko
“It is a kind of visual deception: Large objects make it seem like the space is much bigger,” Zabanova says.
Beanbag chair: Ambient Lounge; coffee table: Kare Design; Tolomeo lamps: Artemide; curtains: Ridex; painting: Tatiana Yakushenko
The bathroom vanity is the designers’ design.
Toilet: Villeroy & Boch; sink: Montelli; wall light: Paulmann
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Toilet: Villeroy & Boch; sink: Montelli; wall light: Paulmann
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
Apartment at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple from Moscow when on vacation
Location: Svetlogorsk, Russia
Size: About 700 square feet (65 square meters)
Designers: Vladislava Peterson and Natalya Zabanova of Make Interiors