Lily & Kenji's Garden Apt
Lily & Kenji's Garden Apt
YEAR - 2022
CLIENT - Concept for Parsons Interior Space Planning
TEAM - Shiva Farrokhi
LOCATION - Brooklyn, NY
TYPOLOGY - Residence
AREA - 965 ft² Interior + 350 ft² Patio
Nested in the streets of Brooklyn Heights, there is a garden level apartment where the clients, Kenji and Lily, live.
Scope of service: To design Kenji and Lily’s garden level apartment to include a master bedroom, a 2nd room for work or guests, and an open floor plan kitchen and living area. The overall design aesthetic will have many eastern influences and their treasured souvenirs from their travels will be incorporated in the design of the apartment.
Research
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Research /
Design Process
Culture & Aesthetic
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Worldly
Showcasing souvenirs from their travels around the world, in a sense reflect their worldly identity.
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Open & Serene
Modern, Minimal, bright, with great airflow throughout the space. It needs to feel serene.
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Japanese influence
Having various elements of Japanese design combined with some western elements to reflect their cultural elements.
Lifestyle
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Food
Food is an integral part of the lily & Kenji’s’ lives. They love cooking and usually eat home-cooked food throughout the week. They also enjoy cooking for their friends.
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Friends & Family
They occasionally have friends and family over, some of whom live in other cities or overseas. They usually stay over anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
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Need for personal space
They have various solo and creative interests and frequently work and even workout from home. Therefore, they need a space that nourish their creative & more introverted side.
After doing the research, the first step of the space planning is defining space criteria using the adjacency/criteria diagram. This helps us with the next steps which are planning the space flow & usage using bubble diagram and drawing blocks over the base plan.
1- Kitchen and dining room are combined to create a bigger space for cooking and entertaining. The 2nd bedroom/office is right by the entry in order to give more separation and privacy when used for guests.
2- Kitchen and dining area are separated so that each have their own space in order to make sure the space looks more organized and have more fresh air quality when cooking which is beneficial especially when cooking foods that have a stronger smell like seafood and cabbage.
3- Living room is the hub and every room gets connected to it to create a warmer and more cozy feel to the space. Also, the bathroom is divided to two sections - toilet and shower, in order to accommodate more than one person at a time, which is important when having guests or on busier days.
Overall space plan
Floor + Furniture Plan
Design Inspiration: Japandi
A mix of Japanese and Scandinavian styles, influenced by the ancient Japanese philosophy of Wabi-sabi, a way of life which values slow-living, contentment and simplicity, as well as the Scandinavian practice of Hygge, which embraces comfort, cosiness and wellbeing.
Essentially designing a home with a focus on functionality, simplicity, cosiness and craftsmanship, as well as having plenty of natural elements and sunlight .
