We get why so many urban dwellers we know prefer bikes to cars. Aside from the environmental reasons, finding parking for four wheels on city streets can be a real doozy, while finding parking for two wheels can be as easy as strolling through the front door. And now that we’ve seen this charming apartment in Vienna, we realize there’s yet another compelling reason to chose bikes: They make great art.
Hanging front and center on the walls of the spacious entry are the owners’ bikes. “The bikes…have a special meaning for the owners—they are not only their primary means of transportation but an expression of urban freedom,” says Blaž Kandus, co-founder of Kombinat Arhitekti, an architecture firm based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, that worked on the remodel. “The character of the apartment and its owners is expressed in this spacious entry hall.”
The rest of the apartment—fun, clever, and stylish—also reflects their personalities and priorities. Let’s take a tour.
Photography by Janez Marolt, courtesy of Kombinat Arhitekti.
Above: The 1,033-square-foot apartment is housed in a gracious early-20th century building. The chartreuse front door hints at the bold use of color inside the home.
Above: The large entry with dedicated wall storage for bikes. Colored tiles were used to create accent walls throughout the apartment. The tiles are from Dutch company Mosa.
Above: The largest room is the kitchen, which the couple also uses as an office and meeting space. “The kitchen is completely custom; ash wood was used for the cabinets and shelving,” says Blaž.
Above: A Louis Poulsen PH5 Pendant Lamp hovers over a dining table by Staffan Holm, from Hem. The gray dining chairs are from Hay.
Above: “By removing a partition wall, a single, central space has been created alongside the street-facing façade,” says Blaž. “The central element of the space is a long counter serving as a work surface and a bench at the same time.”
Above: A peek into the living room through the French doors. The lounge chairs are from Hay.
Above: “This is the place to cook, eat, read, and write, but first and foremost, it is a place to gather and meet. The enlarged room functions as the apartment’s public space. The long table can host lunches, work-related meetings, or both at once.”
Above: The only bedroom in the apartment. It’s essentially the same size as the entry.
Above: A clever wall of adjustable pegs allows for ample wall storage.
Above: The tiles in the bathroom are also from Mosa.
Above: The layout, with the entry in the middle of it all.
For more cool city apartments, see:
- Love in Danish: A Chef Couple’s Warm Scandinavian Apartment Above Their Michelin-Starred Restaurant
- 9 Small-Space Ideas to Steal from a Tiny Paris Apartment
- Second Time’s the Charm: ‘A Renovation of a Renovation’ in a Brooklyn Duplex
N.B.: This story first appeared on November 22, 2020 and has been updated.
