Fresh Perspective: How to Furnish an Apartment with Isolated Rooms

In recent years, the trend toward open-plan interiors has become clearly visible in interior design: the absence of unnecessary walls visually increases apartment space and creatively uses a unified area. However, the owners of this Swedish apartment chose to go against the trend to preserve the spirit of history in an old building and arranged a flat with two isolated rooms and a kitchen on 59 square meters.

Against the Tide

When planning the design project of this 59-square-meter apartment, the owners decided to keep many retro details: kitchen furniture and doors from the 1940s were carefully restored and complemented with modern interior solutions. Thus, a cozy eclectic design emerged in which plastic sits next to natural wood, and wallpapers with padded patterns coexist with white plaster.

Additionally, the owners used space-saving techniques. A successful solution was the light Scandinavian design and relocating storage systems into the hallway: a large built-in cabinet was installed in a niche to avoid overloading the living rooms with furniture.

Light Nostalgia

The main interior task was to preserve the romance of yesteryear in a building constructed in the 1940s. But whereas in lofts it's enough to play with textured brick walls and ceilings, in a regular apartment owners had to resort to more delicate methods: the kitchen furniture and inter-room doors left by previous residents underwent thorough restoration.

To prevent retro elements from being lost in the neutral Scandinavian finish, classic features were integrated into the interior: wallpapers with padded patterns and soft furniture on carved legs. Modern style elements—such as a sphere-shaped lamp and plastic chairs—have not only made the interior more dynamic but also highlighted the connection between eras.

Cozy Details

Despite the mix of elements from different eras, the interior creates a harmonious impression thanks to cozy details. In the living room, owners creatively arranged the bookcase: books were placed on top open shelves according to cover color, and lower shelves were filled with small indoor plants.

Also, this interior serves as a vivid example of how combining seemingly incompatible textures can look striking: black-and-white prints on sofa cushions and a carpet do not clash with the red velvet of the armchair in the living room, and the dense quilted headboard of the bed beautifully complements the minimalist white bedroom interior.