A Peripheral Garden

A couple with two grown children approached us in 2021 to design a three-bedroom apartment they had purchased for the family. It was during the pandemic and a unique point in time, where global circumstances were stirring collective as well as personal value shifts and the rethink of desired living conditions at home.

We enjoyed the apartment’s original layout as it was generally a sensible one. The only thing it lacked was a balcony to invite more fresh air and natural elements into the space. This ‘missing piece’ thus became the driving force of the design strategy.

The unit’s odd-shaped layout adds an interesting spatial dynamic to this elevated space, offering up wide as well as more cosy seating nooks that are inviting and intimate in equal measure. The raised platform was introduced to help the plants get more sunlight and fresh air, and brings the apartment’s residents closer to the tall windows that span the entire length for the enjoyment of the view, breeze, and the dappled light that cast through the leafy plants.