Knightsbridge Apartment

Its simplicity expresses the elemental, yet eternally engaging contrast between light and dark. Its true form is evidently linear, but the nature of a daylight periphery imparts an exact relation between the solid forms which ground it and the airy spaces which release it in every dimension. These forms are seen as dark volumes of space with dark coloured walls and heavier joinery units. Clad in unrefined earthen materials and finishes; smoked wood and leather, they are functional and embrace technology services. They seamlessly conceal and reveal a function needed. They are tactile, warm and enlivening to touch and use. The movement of light from the periphery is represented by either colour or transparency, with light-shaded wall planes and panels of glazing. They disperse and intersect on the edges of the dark solid architecture to define integral circulation paths. Though sleek and tectonic in surface appearance, the delicate nature of glass and mirror used throughout is always balanced with illumination and enhanced by a material that is uneven, intimate and unpretentious, we can see this in the textured antiqued metal and luxurious textiles which are pliable supple and responsive to the light. In this way expression of light not only defines the circulation of the user but also the scaled down functions –such as door mechanisms, reflective finishes, seating and dressing areas in soft but subtle finishes. This ‘light’ then becomes a conduit to everyday ergonomic action. This approach to the design, suggests a natural process, but never defines it. This contrast works to make the design an honest place for living, where the interiors become seamless from the large expanses to the delicate details. They marry the conflict of function and aesthetic to enliven the contrasting actions in everyday movement. Light responds to volumes to dictate the format of space, therefore instead of design being influenced by light, the design itself becomes the sculptor of the light.