Renovation of typical block apartment from the seventies

Block settlements in Slovenjia in the period from 1960 to 1990 represent almost 40% of our building stock.

The apartments in such blocks were built economically and in precise standards, but due to their age they are now quite in a bed shape, some even abandoned. Almost 25 thousand such apartments are empty today. Returning these apartments to the market could help solve the housing crisis and reduce the spread of construction into green and agricultural areas.

By renovating such an apartment from 1977 in Škofja Loka, we showed that the user can also get a high-quality apartment, adapted to a modern lifestyle. In our case, it was a small apartment measuring 34 m2 and with a balcony measuring 6 m2.

Floor plans in such apartments usually always separated the kitchen from the living area, and in our case, living area was also combined with the sleeping area. In order to create a quality shared living and kitchen area, where we spend most of our time and which is separate from the bedroom, we combined it with a balcony. We also half reduced the hallway to create a mini utility room and in the former kitchen we organized a separate bedroom. By installing sliding doors between rooms, we simultaneously created 1 large, open floor plan of the apartment or, depending on the position of the sliding doors, up to 5 rooms: entrance hall, kitchen-living room, utility room, bedroom and bathroom.

Due to worn out instaltions, all electrical, plumbing, and floor installations in the apartment were of course newly installed. All the furniture has been specific designed to measure, so we really took advantage of every corner of storage, yet designed not to clutter up the space too much. Individual pieces of equipment so have several functions:

– Pull-out seat from wardrobe at the entrance

– A tall dining cabinet in which the air conditioner is visible or hidden

– A low cabinet by the window, which can also be a workbench

– Hiden utility when it’s in a function of hallway

For the sake of lightness, we chose white in combination with natural oak for the furnishings, and we created a bit of drama with black and gold accessories. The apartment with its multifunctional design is now perfectly sufficient for a modern living of a young couple.