“Chocolate Velvet” House

Authors’ Comment

This project involved the interior design of a multi-level home – ground floor, first floor, and attic – located in a row-house residential complex in Otopeni. The house was purchased with all finishes already installed – including the bathrooms, where our team stepped in to select the sanitary ware and furniture. Our intervention, therefore, took place within a predefined framework, which posed the major challenge of integrating all newly introduced elements into an existing context without compromising aesthetic quality or functionality.

The client’s brief was clear: an elegant atmosphere, dominated by dark tones – especially warm brown hues – with green accents and golden touches. Around this chromatic palette, we developed a coherent visual language, where the circle motif – subtly reinterpreted in volumes, handles, mirrors, and lighting fixtures – ensures a discreet yet consistent thread throughout the entire interior.

The ground floor accommodates the daytime living areas: the living room, dining area, kitchen, and a guest restroom. The living room was designed around a central TV-fireplace ensemble, with a composition that creates a dialogue between the rhythm of vertical slats, the fireplace, and the suspended TV unit. The fully equipped bar area was conceived as an extension of the relaxation zone. A custom-made bar unit, accompanied by a lounge chair and a source of ambient lighting, forms a cozy nook with its own distinct atmosphere.

The kitchen was entirely custom-built using matte lacquered MDF, with golden handles routed directly into the cabinet fronts for a seamless look. To minimize the visual impact of the large boiler servicing the entire home, we clad the corresponding tall cabinet in cognac-tinted mirror – a solution that adds both depth and refinement to the space.

The first floor is dedicated to the sleeping area and includes the primary bedroom with en-suite bathroom, a guest bedroom, a secondary bathroom, and a room converted into a home library. In the master bedroom, the wall behind the bed becomes the focal point, treated as a full-height composition of wood cladding, an integrated LED strip acting as a bedside light, and a cognac mirror that brings depth and continuity to the design language established downstairs.

The attic is, without a doubt, the most spectacular space in the house. The client chose to transform the entire level into a dressing area – which also serves as a multifunctional room with a fitness zone. To maximize the storage potential of the attic, we designed two tall wardrobes perpendicular to the window wall, creating a rhythmic and functional spatial division. Additional cabinets of varying heights on the sides ensure optimal use of the interior volume, in harmony with the roof slopes.

This interior design was conceived as an exercise in balance – between adapting to existing constraints and expressing a coherent aesthetic vision, articulated around the client’s clearly defined preferences.