The apartment honours its city through and through. Open AD delved into the history and culture of the metropolis, picking up on nuances and weaving them into the apartment’s story. After researching it was possible to group the contrasts, which make the city unique. When you look at the apartment, the contrasts reveal themselves in the materiality, colour scheme and bespoke details:

• bleak and colourful
• shabby and chic
• old and new
• insular and cosmopolitan
• urban and natural.

The floor plan is arranged for all rooms to benefit from natural light and enjoy views of the cityscape. Mirrors and reflective surfaces visually extend the space. An open-plan living room and kitchen are at the centre of the apartment with the master bedroom, its bathroom and walk-in wardrobe at one end, and a guest bedroom with bathroom at the other. In the master and guest bedrooms, nanoglass partitions allow the natural light to enter the bathrooms, too. The walls can be muted for privacy. A laundry room and additional WC are located by the entrance.

Most solutions and details are bespoke, and the parquet floor is one of the most symbolic features. Inspired by the weathered and experienced floors of historical grand structures, each single board is handmade and has its own character.

The custom designed kitchen features three types of metal: copper, brass, and stainless steel. The bar stools are also a bespoke Open AD creation, made in Riga.

In the living area, the fireplace and sound system conjure a lightly industrial mood to contrast with the surrounding softness.

Throughout the apartment, brass skirting creates the feeling of levitation. Touches of the indigo blue colour hint at historical aristocracy. Paldao wood introduces the textures and comforting warmth of nature.

The owners wished for the bathrooms to be equal to other rooms, not to place the visual focus on their function.

Artwork is intrinsic to the apartment with special commissions by artist Zorikto Dorzhiev.

Furniture is a combination of bespoke and designer pieces from brands such as Baxter. They are niche products. Through furniture, Open AD introduced another natural material – leather.

The clients are a couple who spend their time in different places; this apartment is not their only home. They are design lovers, and, to them, the process of creating this apartment highlighted how much it’s possible to personalise a design experience, and how an environment can affect our feelings and behaviour.