I was assigned with the task of turning an elegant Budapest downtown flat into an office space for business and personal use, where the old classical milieu revives with new contemporary elements.
This space with a great ceiling height features richly decorated frames for doors and windows as well as beautiful door handles and hinges. In such an assignment the most important things are to recognize, keep and – if necessary – restore the values, to adapt to the given dimensions and to integrate the new functions.
This flat already had great rhythm so anything new could be integrated only very carefully. This special environment required certain elegance and nobility which I wanted to infuse with a modern approach. It was very interesting for me how a playful contrast can emerge as a result of mixing different styles. The remnants of the old world gained new functions with the appearance of modern design elements. I used this concept of recalibration in choosing materials and forms, therefore, through matching different styles the space gained a unique atmosphere. For example the decorated old doorframe aligns with an acid-etched glass panel in front of a bronze sheet which surrounds a kitchen. Simple, clean-cut stone counters, stone tables, textured MDF panels, copper sheet fronts or the door and desk with leather finish infuse contrast in a classical interior.
Everything at its creation was new and possibly progressive. Why would we want to recreate the same old? This doesn’t mean the old should be destroyed but it could be reinterpreted when placed in a new context.
