In front is an old Armenian church Getronagan, and Galata Tower on the background… In the design of the loft of 180 m2 authored by Ofist, the main actors are naturality, comfort and the spirit of Karaköy…
The location of the house as well as the personality, way of living and needs of the client were the main parameters in the design of this project. Karakoy had always been the heart of the commerce in İstanbul. Nowadays the old neighborhood is getting more hip and active with many new art galleries, boutiques, restaurants and hotels all around. The penthuse designed by Ofist with interior designers Yasemin Arpaç and Sabahattin Emir is planned for the needs of a midlle aged , bachelor male’s personality, lifesytle and requirements.
The defining elements of choices of materials and and design decisions for the loft, as much as the lifestyle and the dynamic character of the client; was its location in one of the liveliest streets of Karaköy. The keywords in the design of the home are: Natural, comfortable and utilitarian…
The structural approach of the house was to open up to get more light and view. The previous small window openings on the front façade were enlarged and the new folding window frames slide the width of the building to transform the livingroom into a balcony, since the apartment is missing one. And a large rectangular skylight was inserted just below the peak of the pitch to provide light and view to the mezzanine.
The design approach of the house however was ‘not to have too many ideas’. We evaluated the entire house as a whole and single space since its layout was to be designed for a single person’s use, and all the spaces wasplanned to be entwined together. There was no need for dividing the space into many small rooms. Therefore, we didn’t need different design ideas for different rooms.
We came up with a few design approaches and used it all around the house;
– One of the longitudinal walls was resolved as storage. A very simple system was designed with iron rods climbing two floors and running the length of the house, without categorizing as living room, kitchen, library or bedroom. 12 mm iron rods coming out of the wall and 16mm rods connected to them creating a 60 x 60 cm grid over the wall surface. Various shelving units and accessories were designed to fit this system, such as a single shelf, double or triple story shelves, vertical separators or hanging units. The user may arrange and utilize this storing system however he likes; as a library, a woodshed, kitchen storage, or a wardrobe.
– The other longitudinal wall facing this busy storage system was designed with least movement as possible to create a serene side and was covered with natural stone in varied sizes.This wall starts in the living room and continues all the way up and through the bedroom.
– Downstairs floor was covered with 60 x 60 cm natural stone in an irregular angle obtaining the casualness. It only replaced itself to wood in the guest bedroom, which is facing north.
– All through out the mezzanine, the surfaces were covered with a cement-based material, uninterrupted, for a pleasant feeling for the naked feet. This surface created the floor all around, including the shower and also the block,which nestles the bed and the bathtub.
– Apart from practicality, the warmness that the house needed was achieved with a continuous ceiling of iroko wood, that rise from the wall to the ceiling, creating also a wide seating unit in front of the window for crowded gatherings.
– Finally, the cast-concrete block surface which was created to form the kitchen counter framed in an iron structure, steps down and forms itself into a cantilevering dining table and ends up as a short plinth as the hearth, which also allows extra seating around the table.
Location: Bedroom and Living room walls
Natural Stone : Night Black
Tureks – varied sizes
INTERVIEW WITH YASEMİN ARPAÇ
IN THE NAME OF OFIST TEAM
– If we ask you to describe Ofist to us briefly, what would you say?
We have been in Beyoğlu since 2004, when we set up Ofist. Our approach to design is briefly this: When designing the spaces we believed to be a very important part of their production process, we try to have the awareness and responsibility that we are providing an addition, a supplement to the cultural richness of our geography, especially to a city like İstanbul.
– How would Ofist describe Loft project with just a few words?
Comfortable, natural, utilitarian.
– Now, in İstanbul’s historical and compact areas, these types of projects come to life often. What would you say about this?
There are countless political, economic, known or unknown reasons why locations like Tarlabaşı, Karaköy and Beyoğlu have not got the attention they deserved for a long time. Otherwise, it’s unbelievable that these areas, right at the center of the city, which have not lost their historical textures and containing an important part of the cultural heritage of the city, are in this condition. Although it’s good that there is increasing interest in these areas; how this is done involves a potential which could lead to other problems.
– The project you launched is quite successful. To what criteria did you design it?
First of all, the land owner’s expectations were important. He wanted a different and exciting home. So we wanted to solve the space as a single volume without much division. We tried to join the lower level and the upper level with the fireplace and masonry covering, continuing uninterrupted from the bottom floor to the top floor; and a shelf system, covering the whole wall on which hundreds of things accumulated by the land owner who have hobbies like moto sports, nature sports and music in connection with these hobbies, could be stored.
– Do you have such type of new projects pending?
Actually, we evaluate all projects put before us in a similar manner. We try to address each one with the project owner addressing its special location, structure and surroundings; and create special solutions for each one, removed from package solutions.
– Thanks for your time.
We thank you for your interest.
Design Team: Yasemin Arpaç & Sabahattin Emir
CREDITS
Project Location: Karakoy İstanbul
Project Type: Residential Interior Design
Design Office: Ofist
Design Team: Yasemin Arpac & Sabahattin Emir
Project Date: July 2011
Construction Date: September 2012
Total Construction Area: 185 m²
Electrical Works: Birtes Electrics
Mechanical Works: DSM Engineering
Wood Works: Aren Decoration
Metal Works: Sen Metal
Stone Works: Oktay Yegin
Paint Works: Ali Aksu
Cement Based Surface: Hit Design
Photography: Koray Erkaya
Heval Zeliha Yüksel / Architect
