Designer: Hamid Nicola Katrib
Project: Yellow Apartment
Location: Bucharest, Romania
Photography: Bogdan Ivan
Yellow Apartment is an interior design project recently completed by Hamid Nicola Katrib in Bucharest, Romania.
Project description: This apartment belongs to a very good friend of mine, who loves vibrant colors and contrasts, therefore an usual white-and-beige house wouldn’t actually be suitable for him. When I start decorating the duplex apartmant, my friend had complete trust in me and was sure that the result would make him happy. Since I knew I had free will of using strong colors, the game began: I mixed lots of yellow and blue all over the place, with a deep bright light bathing the house.
One of the challenges I encountered was to find a nice coverage for the three doors aligned on the same wall in the living room (the toilet, the kitchen and the guest room doors). This wall was too mundane, so I decided to build an asymmetric oak (false) wall in front of it, which gave a touch of modernity and dynamism to that area. The volumetric wood shape is illuminated with a LED perimeter band, which enhances the space between the oak wood and the actual wall. The space in front of the asymmetric shape can be used as book shelf, TV stand or, in this case, as an exhibition point for an art deco painting of a woman wearing a 40’s elegant hat.
Upstairs, the room has a sloping ceiling and creates the image of an attic illuminated only with VELUX roof windows. Since the ceiling is not too high, I wanted to bring more light and space to this area, so I covered the floor with white, fuzzy carpeting, to create the cozy and warm feeling that’s so desirable for an attic.
For the ground floor, I chose to go for brown-cappuccino parquet and smooth grey walls. Some would say this is a risky combination that might not work, but I knew from the beginning that the fabrics of the decorations and the original shapes of furniture, all having vivid colors, would fill the space and would make a great contrast.
Then I started playing with colors: grey, white and yellow has always been one of my favorite combinations, so I made it shine in the living room at the ground floor. The 60’s style sofa, in natural beige, beautifully contrasts with the grey walls and the yellow curtains. Also, on the wall behind the sofa, we designed some calligraphy representing poem lyrics in Arabic language, in bold geometric shapes made of MDF.
The white and yellow side tables, with original shapes and volumes, are prototypes pieces of my personal furniture collection that will be soon released, and go perfectly with the round grey coffee table in front of the sofa. And since my passion for decorations never stops, I usually find precious objects of art at the vintage fairs, like the 60’s lamp and the blue ceramic vase placed on one of the side tables. Those two deco treasures give a special elegance to the place.
Another important piece of the living room is the carpet – with its geometric shapes in yellow, white and orange – enhances the 60’s style and atmosphere in a house mostly modernist. The majestic chair is also a vintage beauty, called The Elephant Ear thanks to its round shape freshly refurbished. To warm up the ambience, I chose to cover an entire wall with yellow curtains, which gave a rich and intimate air to the living room.
The stairs that lead upstairs are an essential part of my asymmetric game in this house. I created a unique model of stripes of two distinct sizes, made of white and antique brass, to avoid the cold metal look. Also, since the dining table was placed right next to the stairs, I designed a special shape of the table legs, so, when seen from the front, they seem like a continuation of the asymmetric railing stripes. Then, I found a special set of chairs that perfectly fits the playful design and the colors of the house.
A sure thing is that I sought to bring the fun spirit everywhere in the house. We’ve put spoons and knives stickers on the kitchen cabinets doors, the door handles have also the shape of cutlery pieces, the walls are white, yellow and black and the space between the kitchen cabinets is made of yellow glass. That’s it! Ludic all the way!
When thinking about Yellow Apartment, the rich colors are king: an explosion of contrasts, graphics and playful designs met under the same roof to complete a young, fresh and truly original style. Via e-mail. Courtesy of Hamid Nicola Katrib
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