Original article featured in Cambridgeshire Agenda August 2009. Photography courtesy of The Rug Company and Mark Box Photography.

Living the High Life

As apartments become increasingly popular for the first time buyer right through to the retirement home downsizer, Cate Burren of Angel and Blume looks at the interior design considerations for apartment living.

With so much of the new development in our urban areas being devoted to building apartment blocks, we tend to think of their interiors as ultra modern, somewhat less than comfortable spaces.

However the interior of any apartment can be designed to be a space that feels like home and remembering that there are many examples of period apartment buildings, including Victorian mansion blocks, should open our minds to countless style opportunities for the design of the interior.

Apartments of the past

With the long history of apartment living in continental Europe, it is perhaps easier to conjure up images of airy Parisian apartments with French doors to balconies overlooking busy streets, or the tree filled roof terraces of the Milanese apartment buildings than to immediately think of a period setting for an english apartment. This may be because during the Victorian era, when so much building work was undertaken in this country, the preference was for large private family houses, rather than apartments; living in serviced ‘chambers’ was for bachelors and apartments were mainly used by the family for short seasons in the city. Large and comfortable mansions blocks of apartments were built for such purposes but houses were by far the preferred dwelling of the time. Later, during the 1900s, society embraced apartment life and architects such as Le Corbusier and Lubetkin dreamt up plans for cities that would be solely composed of apartments.

In London between the wars, prime sites on park Lane and Hyde Park Corner were redeveloped as apartments, overseen by the great classicist Sir Edwin Lutyens and up to the modern age, architects have turned their attention to building apartments that are ground breaking in their design but that seek to work as family homes. The style of the building will influence the overall look of your home but just as a Victorian house can be brought up to date with modern furnishings, an apartment need not be solely about the design of the space. Very modern apartments can work extremely well using classic antiques and traditional textiles, an older mansion block apartment can adopt a retro look or an apartment from the 1960s can successfully pull off a minimalist look.

Finding your style

The key is to focus on and stick to an overall style that works for you and the furnishings you have and want to keep but acknowledge the structure of the building. For example, if you are bringing a classic look to a very modern apartment, you could create your look around antique furniture, rugs, artwork and lamps, introduce a simpler style for your curtains around the modern windows and keep fittings such as door and window handles, light fittings and possibly kitchen and bathroom design all modern to fit with the design of the building. As with any interior design, finding your style and implementing it with confidence will achieve the best results.

Things to consider

When buying an apartment there are a few important check points to tick off. The first is neighbours – by the very nature of the building, you will have more of them in close proximity and it is worth checking how much are you overlooked, if there good sound proofing in the building and what provisions are there in the lease about what your neighbours (and you and your family) are prevented from doing. The second is what outside space you have – the answer may be none or it may be plenty but if storage for bikes, tools, sports equipment and so on is required, it is best to clarity where things will go before proceeding. Similarly provisions for parking and rubbish have probably been carefully planned. Finally consider the space you need – living, working, sleeping, working, playing, putting up guests, children, storage and so on, versus the space you are getting. Often apartments are deceptively different in proportion to houses which may not be apparent until you start to use the space.

Top ten tips for apartment living

1. Do not assume that moving from a house to an apartment means a completely new set of furnishings – work with what you have and like and design around it.

2. The style of the building influences the interior but does not dictate it. Reference the building in your design and blend it with your personal interior style.

3. Concentrate on lighting – it is important in every interior but nowhere more so than in apartments. Look carefully at the natural light you have and now each space works during the day and at night.

4. Modern city centre apartments often feature dramatic windows which whilst stunning for the occupants, also may give a good view of your home to the world outside. You may find that you need to have some screening in the form of blinds or voile curtains that give you some privacy during the day and early part of the evening.

5. Good use of modern technology for music, TV, computers works exceptionally well in apartments because the spaces connect more readily so take some good advice on how to move into the technological future.

6. Where flooring is concerned, it is often best to use the same flooring throughout the apartment to give good continuity when doors are open. This can be achieved by using the same type of flooring or just matching colours carefully – for example using an oak flooring running into ceramic tiles or carpet that is the same warm brown colour.

7. If you have outside spaces – roof terraces, balconies, window boxes – make the most of them with tables and chairs if possible, or plants and flowers, real or artificial.

8. Check your temperatures – mostly apartments are well heated (although it is worth checking this) but may overheat in the summer, especially if there is a lot of glass – so air conditioning may be a requirement.

9. On a practical note, make sure that when you move, or buy new larger items of furniture, that it will go up the stairs and fit through the doorways.

10. Although apartment blocks are often well sound proofed, noise is always an issue so have respect for your neighbours when you plan the interior – think about the positioning of TVs, stereos, pianos and so on and factor in additional noise insulation if you think it is going to be a problem.