Bold Minimalism: Flat IO in Bratislava by Alan Prekop.

Bold geometric forms, exposed ceilings and stainless steel detailing take centre stage in this light and airy loft. The apartment, located in “500 flats”, one of the oldest settlements in Bratislava, Slovakia has managed to remain mostly untouched since its inception in the early 50s. It’s a relic of cultural significance in a city that has undergone significant urban development.

Architect Alan Prekop creates consistently curious designs. Fun collage-style renders give way to actualised projects that are just as dreamy and this 70-metre squared two-room apartment is no exception.

Stripped down to its carrier components the apartment is mostly untethered from conventional areas. Instead, you will find the apartment connected by a wooden and glass framed door replacing the original brick wall to the bedroom. This partition separates the space ingeniously by night and day. Leaving the doors open makes the space feel bigger and brighter by connecting the windows from the east and west. The night mode makes for more cosy, intimate spaces.

A round aperture in the centre of the flat is reminiscent of Carlo Scarpa’s modernist masterpiece, The Brion Cemetery, but is anything but sombre. This playful architectural element creates a portal from the kitchen to the living room. Voyeuristic in nature, it frames either space as you look into it.

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Materiality guides through the interior – stainless steel is used for the windowsills, kitchen counter and the rim of the circle entrance, proving that metal can be used in projects beyond ultra-cool retail interiors. While the wet rooms remain largely untouched, stainless steel clads the exterior walls adding definition to the open floor plan.

Colour is used sparingly in the design. Touches of buttercream are interspersed throughout the space through styling and custom joinery. The kitchen unit stands apart from the walls, doused in the statement buttercream like a small-scale intervention sitting in the interior.

Little details usually found at your oh-so-cool friend’s house punctuate the space – a blue glass tabletop sits on cinder blocks acting as a ledge, and ceramic tiles line the living room. While these elements add character, they are also central to the design proposal, recycled surplus materials from previous projects that would otherwise be thrown out, newly repurposed in this interior.

This versatile and ethically minded design by Prekop is an alternative to the residential status quo, acting as a good reminder that the spaces we interact in are ever-evolving.

[Images courtesy of Alan Prekop. Photography by nora&jakub.]