A fireplace between living room and kitchen

We are dealing with the renovation of an apartment on the top floor of a building of 3, including this one. And in particular we have to design the living room: a large space of approximately 47 square metres available.

The access to this space is directly from a flight of stairs, and it will comprise both kitchen/dining room and living room, as well as a little access area which the doors to various rooms overlook. It is a rather typical situation in our work as designers.

Customers' requirements are few but precise. First of all, the access to the large terrace will be directly from the entrance, then the kitchen will be in a closed space and they also want a large living room. Last, but not least, they want also a fireplace in the living room.

Let's start with this latter request to lay out the plan: a wall will act as a central backbone for the whole plan, and is of use to both kitchen and living room. On this wall is then placed on one side the fireplace, while on the other side the angled kitchen. The main entrance was created with another wall, perpendicular to the first, and here we find also the various accesses to kitchen, living room, terrace and bedrooms area.

The hub of the entire planimetric scheme is the fireplace, of course, and, to emphasize this aspect of composition, the space which includes fireplace itself and dining is raised by 15 cm.

This way, in the plan, the design of the fireplace is one only graphic sign with that of platform, while the kitchen and the living room maintain the same level. The fireplace separates the two spaces and, at the same time unites them in a single design, as concerns planimetric composition, as well as, in elevation, the slight difference in height separates the two spaces emphasizing their different functional features, but at the same time this creates between them a kind of emotional stress, just moving to the discovery of one another.

The raised platform has a curved shape between the kitchen and the dining space, so as to arrange a round dining table for 6 people. Here, too, we find the same graphic sign as concerns floor plan and piece of furniture. The kitchen has a few but functional pieces, with two cupboards: one used like larder, the other one contains a built-in refrigerator.

The wall of the fireplace also houses bookshelves and stereo/television equipment, in a single piece of made to measure furniture. The rest of the living room is organized with 2 sofas and one armchair in the sitting area, and a large wooden piece of furniture to contain dinner services and sets of cutlery.

arch. Raffaella Pierri