An apartment with a view

The Sea & Sky Apart-Hotel consists of six independent holiday apartments, each individually designed to make the most of the available space, position and orientation. Four of the mini-apartments offer breathtaking views of the Gulf of Odessa and the Black Sea, while the other two look out over the skyline of the historic Ukrainian city.
Nina Romanova from Scapes Studio was commissioned to design the interior of one of the Black Sea-facing apartments. “The main characteristic of the apartment is the fact that there are no internal walls,” says the designer. “This absence of partitions allows the panoramic view to fully occupy the space and become an integral part of the guest’s experience. The vast expanse of the Black Sea is visible from every corner of the apartment. To complete the project, a freestanding bathtub and an open shower are incorporated into the black interior area which divides up the warm beige square volume and creates a passageway between the living space, the kitchen, the bedroom and the wardrobe.”
As the designer explained, colours played an important role in the project. Given the absence of partition walls, different colours were used to distinguish between the various functional areas: black for the service areas such as the bathroom, passageways, wardrobe and kitchen, and creamy white for the relaxation and sleeping areas. Along with colours, surface covering materials were also used to achieve this goal. “We opted predominantly for ceramic tiles, while leaving some space on the walls for plaster,” says Nina Romanova. “We chose porcelain stoneware due to its durability, ease of maintenance and aesthetics.” The Fio.Block collection from Ceramica Fioranese was chosen in the two versions Avorio and Grafite to highlight the layout of the interior spaces. The collection’s three-dimensional textures enabled the designer also to add a sense of dynamism to the surfaces. “Ceramic tile plays a crucial role in this project. It serves as a perfect background for the overall concept, while helping to organise the space both visually and functionally through the use of colour. This unique collection from Ceramica Fioranese has a remarkable three-dimensional design that creates an alternation of light and shadow. This allowed us to experiment with the patterns and to bring a sense of geometric vitality to the apartment’s rigorous contemporary spirit,” says the designer.