stilus & minoseg
quarterly high-end supplement to otthon
Simply Different
It doesn’t take expertise in interior design to spot at a glance, homes and interiors, which have been designed and decorated by a foreign specialist. These homes are simply different. The question is, why?
It’s as if the pictures from a glossy foreign home design magazine have come alive, where in fact, the apartment is situated right here in Budapest. Not only its location, but all of its furnishings were either bought or made locally. Only the designers’ experience and approach, as well as perhaps the owners’ attitude, is “alien”, slightly different to what we are accustomed to – in a sense, more daring, but all the same, more prudent.
Daring with regard to color schemes and combination of material and form; more prudent where costs are concerned. And what may also make a difference is that the creators of this home have seen and experienced definitely something else, if not something more, of the world, than we locals have.
The two young interior designers, Liza Lee and Jade O’Connor studied in the United States. Destined by fate to settle in Hungary, they came to establish a company called Interior Visions, which not only offers design but also has its own team of contractors to provide turnkey solutions on request. Like all people of a creative turn of mind, Liza and Jade prefer having a free hand, but also consider it equally challenging to realize their and their customer’s ideas when tied by constraints. As demonstrated by the home in the pictures, it is not impossible to learn to dance in fetters – or convert a rented apartment to meet individual needs and special desires. Even if you are not free to move walls or change fixtures, there is enormous potential in furniture items, textiles, color and material schemes.
The customers are also American expatriates: a young couple with a baby who have taken up residence in Budapest, a choice partly motivated by the husband’s Hungarian roots. Their present home is actually the second apartment they have had in Budapest; the first one was smaller and more youthful, but also more temporary. This time they wanted something slightly more classic – a “grown-ups’” apartment, as befits people who have already settled down and started a family. Nonetheless, they wanted the flat to be modern, stylish and really livable, whilst integrating their old furniture, bought mostly from IKEA.
The commission was followed by several hours of discussion. The assignment of Liza and Jade was to create a style that married the clients’ preferences to the smallest detail with an updated, harmonious look. They and the customers leafed through various home design magazines together, marking interiors, articles and accessories that appealed to the tenants. The couple explained what colors they preferred and sifted through material and motif samples to select the ones to their liking.
With the apartment being leased property, no major alterations to the interior were possible, with the exception of building a fireplace in the spacious living/dining room, which the designers designed together with the owners. In addition, the living room walls were repainted and the furniture brought over from their previous living space was remodeled to create a more traditional, classic atmosphere in the entire apartment. The living room has been furnished with a lounge suite, reborn in elegant shades of cream and deep green. The set is complete with a custom-ordered ottoman with striped upholstery and an elegant teak coffee table. Jade and Liza designed clever storage-cum-seating units with snug cushions on top to go under the huge windows, making good use of the awkward space without blocking the magnificent view.
The grand dining area features a massive solid wooden table and comfortable chairs upholstered with red fabric, all made to order along with a silver-framed mirror, which also intensifies the classic atmosphere.
The inventiveness of the designers is manifested by the exploitation of nooks left and right to the newly built fireplace, with one housing a narrow chest of drawers, while the other is furnished with a white bookshelf and television stand of unique design. The latter is equipped with a movable shelf sliding in and out of the vertical plane of the item, so that the space is not dominated by the television except when in use. The focal point of the room is therefore the fireplace, with the tenants’ favorite painting hanging above it in an asymmetric arrangement, which contributes significantly to the prominence of the picture.
The previously plain unfinished pinewood credenzas were antiqued to create a warm homey atmosphere. The same consideration influenced the choice of soft furnishings – springy carpets with traditional patterns purchased in Hattyúház and pale natural fiber curtains (so as not to spoil the splendid panorama) from KA International and Textilandia stores.
Chosen by the master of the house for himself, the only exception is the checked blind across the study window, which is one of the most characteristic items in a room whose other highlights include a chest of ample proportions, our host’s treasured Hungarian heirlooms and his stein collection on the shelves opposite.
The breakfast room, adjacent to the kitchen and also fitted out with old pinewood furniture, has been enlivened by cheerful patterned slip-covers. Since the air conditioner did not allow ready-made units to be installed, Liza and Jade designed narrow shelves which occupy the free space all around and hide the unsightly metal box. The spare bedroom has been considerably restyled as well, with a custom-built checkerboard design closet allowing for roomy storage space for both owners and guests. The uniqueness of the couple’s bedroom is the color of the walls; pale violet to suit the furniture and set the soothing mood.
A sliding door with a mirror helped make the enormous wardrobe more convenient and less space-intensive, while the pinewood nightstands are decorated with slipcovers made from the remnants of the curtain material. The entire apartment represents an excellent combination of old and new, with items bought years ago combined with recent purchases to create a charming, warm, homey and unique harmony.
The word “impossible” apparently means nothing to Jade and Liza. If something was unavailable on the market or too expensive, they had the item manufactured to order, always respecting the customer’s budget. In the country where they come from, hiring an interior designer is widespread practice – not because new homeowners and tenants don’t have their own ideas for their homes, but because the designers have the resources to pull together a magnificent look while saving the customer plenty of money, hassle and effort.
