Large by most standards at 130 square metres, the ground-floor apartment, while having the bones to be either classic or contemporary, lacked any sense of character. “This apartment was a classic ‘blank canvas’… it lacked any personality, which was both its strength and weakness,” comments Olimpiada Arefieva, principal of Well Done Interiors. “Often, space prompts images and styles. Here, however, there was complete silence.”
With all basic functional needs and utilities well provided, including a large travertine kitchen island, stone floors and an almost all-white interior, there were no plans to change existing finishes. Rather, the goal was to deliver a home filled with character and expression. “The beautiful neutral finish wasn’t the only advantage of the apartment – we also had a great layout with a spacious living/dining area combined with compact bedrooms and, of course, a luxurious terrace. In Geneva’s mild climate, it’s used year-round, so we viewed it as a fully-fledged and essential living area,” shares Arefieva.
The apartment therefore offered unlimited creative freedom, compounded by the client’s love for art, colour and bold patterns, which enabled Arefieva to create a contemporary home entirely through interior decoration. Curating an exploration of vibrant, conceptual furniture and art pieces, however, is underwritten by quality, with key furniture pieces from some of the great design houses of Europe.
A round coffered ceiling in the dining room became the starting point. “It was clear that the circular shape needed to be reflected in the furniture arrangement below. So, I first showed my client a vibrant round table made of recycled plastic from Kooji, as if painted with bold brushstrokes by a bold artist, and she loved it,” says Arefieva. The Kooji tables are indeed artwork-like pieces, with each colour pattern completely unique. In this case, a subtle blending of yellow, lavender, terracotta, pink and mint. The table was complemented by unusual armchairs from Normann Copenhagen and a two-metre-wide bright green chandelier from the Portuguese designers Royal Strangers. Artworks pick up the colours with simple abstract shapes, as do the bar stools in lavender plastic, which link the kitchen and dining areas.
In the living room, the focal point is a daybed from Svenskt Tenn, designed by Josef Frank in 1938, which has been upholstered in a fabric based on his archival drawings. This vintage botanical print provides a striking contrast to the stripes used in this space. “I used [the Svenskt Tenn fabric] both as upholstery for the armchair and in the pillows on the neutral sofa, but most importantly, we printed the curtains with a very wide diagonal stripe. Its width was carefully calculated based on all the parameters of the space, just as carefully as the colour shades were selected,” says Arefieva. That said, while the stripes are bold and wide, they are also subtle, with a pale ochre and cream combination that feels more floaty than op art. The pairing with the textural verticality of a Ruffle floor lamp by Serralunga is arguably the more daring move and works beautifully.
Bringing colour and form into the room, a rug designed by Patricia Urquiola for cc-tapis has been placed on the wall above the vibrant green console table from USM. “It combines all the colours of the living room and is very playful and bold,” says Arefieva. Adding balance and tonal complement, a sculptural coffee table in wood and stained glass from Nortstudio sits central to the room, while a Marenco armchair in pink and tan sits opposite a classic cream lounge, also Marenco (Arflex).
Related: A house in two colours
For the bedrooms, Arefieva has used a bespoke print featuring large, bold patterns on all curtains. By designing the fabric for the project, Arefieva was able to push the scale of the gestures and determine the intensity of the colour. Similarly, in using two overlapping rugs instead of one large rug, the design exponentially increases in character and verve. “The same principle is used here as throughout the apartment: a neutral background with interesting, uniquely shaped objects, combined with vibrant art and a mix of patterns of varying scales,” she says.
As an exercise in interior decoration, it is a standout project full of colour and joy. Moreover, it shows the ability of a curated collection of design objects, furniture and art to transform a space and bring a structurally sound but vanilla interior into a direct expression of the client’s personality.
