Recently we discovered the R. house – a modern and warm space designed by Studio 1408 for a couple of youngsters. The beneficiaries’ wish to live in an urban environment, enjoying all along the advantages of a house – a garden and a direct connection with the outside, as well as a greater flexibility in dividing the interiors. They buy a house with basement, ground floor and a second floor, with a footprint of merely 38 sqm and a yard of 100sqm, built in the ‘40s in a residential area of Bucharest with many similar buildings, most of them still unconsolidated or rehabilitated. The main volume was clad in white polished metal, while the simple, geometric composition is highlighted through a series of black framings that stand out from the façade. In a sort of counterpoint, the two access volumes to the terrace – the one on the ground floor and the one on the second floor – are coated in iroko wood, subtly suggesting the connection between nature and relaxation. Probably the most attractive aspect of the design is the natural element, represented by Iroko wood, used on both access volumes. The terrace on the ground floor, covered by a console and placed on a heightened board, lined with a metallic profile, follows the shape of the building, enriching it, and outlines a private exterior room, protected from indiscreet looks, connected to the garden.
As the team from Studio 1408 accustomed us ( see projects Contemporary Apartment Design by Studio 1408, Bucharest and F duplex Apartment by Studio 1408, Bucharest, Romania presented in previous DesignRulz articles), the bath was carefully considered and creatively dealt with: the ceramic plywood refers to the exposed concrete, in two tints, while in the shower, the wall imitating Corten becomes the central element of the room. With a furniture entirely designed by the architects and impeccably executed on demand, planned in a narrow chromatic register, yet with a series of well placed nuances, the R. House reflects a modern urban image, thought through to the smallest detail.
