75 sq m Bucharest Apartment - A Space Reborn After Extensive Renovation

For many of us, this situation seems familiar: a young family buys an apartment in an old building and then, more often than not, begins a winding process of renovation and furnishing.

This was also the case for Oana and Mihai, two young people from Bucharest who, after purchasing a 75 square meter apartment on Nerva Traian Street, turned to the specialists at Republic of architects studio Republic of architects to transform their future home into a pleasant place, adapted to their needs.

Located on the top floor of a building from the 1980s, the apartment required a complete renovation. The furnishing involved demolitions, new joinery, new doors, replacement of sanitary, heating and electrical installations and flooring, as well as painting the walls, purchasing furniture, lighting fixtures and appliances. The total cost amounted to 30,000 euros.

The design aimed to create a pleasant and organized atmosphere and for the fluidity of spaces to allow easy communication between areas and rooms.

To avoid installing furniture that would have fractured the small spaces of the rooms, the architects opted for built-in furniture in the walls. The simple lines and smooth, glossy surfaces of the white furniture reflected light and amplified the space.

The cut-out furniture serves to create a discreet visual separation between the kitchen area and the entrance hall.

Natural materials and finishes were chosen to create uniform, discreet and neutral surfaces – white, black, gray, natural wood tones. The same effect was achieved through the wooden floor, the uniformity of the tiles and faience, the white MDF furniture with veneer inserts, glass on the kitchen wall.

The furniture was purchased from Ikea, Jysk and Mobexpert, the kitchen furniture being custom-made.

Some of the lighting fixtures are from Ikea and Evalight, while for the access area and living room, they were made in the architects' workshop with elements purchased from retail stores: waxed wooden bars, metal cables, simple socket lamps. Their linear shape creates a discreet connection between the mentioned rooms.