It's never easy working within the con fines of a small flat, yet there are many techniques which can create a feeling of openness and space. One of the most effective is the use of mirrors. The dimensions of any room seem to expand through cleverly placed mirrors. This ninth floor flat mirrors the world outside and makes you totally unaware of its actual limited size.
Hat maker George Malyard designed this flat--his twenty-first.
His main objective was to get away from the pressures of the chaotic world.
He succeeded in finding a flat in central London which was far enough away from noise and car fumes; it was nine floors above the congestion and commotion of the street.
The main consideration was how to eliminate the feeling of being cooped up in two little garret rooms. The answer to this problem was solved with ceiling to floor mirrors on the walls.
The effect is miraculous-the illusion of space in the flat continues as far as the eye can travel looking out of the window. There seems to be no division between the world without and the world within. There is an added dimension.
Mirrors are invaluable if you want to 'open up' a room. Give careful consideration to where you put them. They should pick up the maximum amount of light available in the room, and also reflect an interesting view or objects.
Before choosing the spot for your mirror, try sitting in different parts of the room and see where the mirror can have the greatest impact.
Try placing the mirror on different levels and at various angles. It is worth experimenting in this way as mirrors can appear as ugly holes in the wall when their function is misused.
As Mr. Malyard looked out the flat windows, the colors he saw were the greys and silvers of concrete buildings and the reds of tiled roof tops. His color scheme was decided. He would bring the colors from the immediate outside world into his own flat. Grey, silver, terracotta and white are the dominant colors. The designer didn't want to live with a view, but in a view.
The entrance lobby leads into the sitting room, which measures approximately sixteen feet by twelve feet. Hues of terracotta emerge from the Italian leather button-backed chairs and the Spanish floor tiles. The unusual curves in the tiles echo the curve over the door.
The settee is a dark brick color, made from coating fabric with central insets of Persian rug.
The Persian motif is repeated in the floor rug which has similar patterns and color tones.
The remaining objects in the room do not have a fabric or leather finish, but a hard metallic one -- just like the chrome and concrete in the world seen outside. The transparent tables are solid perspex; the dining chairs are perspex and steel. The sliding windows are framed by part polished and part-lacquered aluminum. During the day, the drab, fog-colored blinds-again an echo from the outside-can be used to give a ...
--------- ABOVE. A small room with a big look.Floor to ceiling mirrors capture
the panoramic view, making the room seem far more expansive and open. Beluchi
rugs serve as couch insets.
... restful green color in the room. At night, blinds aren’t needed. In fact, there is enough light from the city to sit and relax in the room without any indoor lighting. George Malyard finds looking at the panorama around him far more interesting than television.
The ornamentation is in keeping with the metallic look. The picture frames are solid white gold leaf. The silver sculpture on the window sill is a polished aluminum alloy. One modern Italian lamp has a silver finish and the other, an watched on others, putting into practical use some of the various ways of making the most of lighting in the living room.
Mirrors are used again in the bedroom. It consists of a double bed set into an alcove, surrounded by mirrors, and two big walk-in wardrobes with mirrored sliding doors. The walls are covered with a mushroom brown imitation suede which is actually waterproof rain-coating.
The delicate print of the continental quilt cover contrasts well with the more subdued brown champagne colors. The trim around the alcove and the wardrobes is nail-studded chrome and steel. There is a surprise color-a butterfly blue-carpeting the wardrobe floor. The teak shelves in the wardrobe are set against printed silver foil in terracotta and grey.
The compact kitchen repeats the metallic and white motif. It is well fitted with a built-in eye level oven and grill and a waste disposal unit.
Above. Looking out of the ninth floor window. Steel and chrome outside echo
the aluminum window frames and perspex table and chairs. Another mirror serves
as a drinks table top.
The refrigerator neatly fits under the oven. The cupboard surfaces are covered with dark blue melamine.
Silver-grey colors also dominate in the bath room in the tiles and vinyl floor. The design has been kept simple to eliminate the cluttered look.
The flat has been designed for labor saving.
All surfaces can be cleaned with a cloth except for the Persian rugs and the suede-like bedroom wall covering, which can be vacuumed with a small cleaner. Leather cream is used on the terracotta chairs, and the perspex tables are rubbed down with anti-static polish.
Another feature worth noting is the lighting.
Most of the lights are spots and have dimmers to save on the electricity bills. Dimmers are practical and can have a dramatic effect. They can be adjusted according to the time of day and your mood. They are useful in a room where study is done some evenings and television watched on others, home designer 59 gives ideas for various methods of making the most of lighting in the living room.
From one small flat, George Malyard has created a spacious looking home through the miracle of mirror and design. If you are con fined with rooms that make you feel closed in, remember that clever placement of mirrors can make all the difference to enhancing the room as well as making it look larger.
--- Below. A striking silver sculpture and two ultra modern
lamps overlooking the city set a streamlined urbane tone to the room. Mirrors
again reflect the night lights outside.
--------------