Apartment Z Reframes a Maisonette into Day-Night Living
Apartment Z lands in Bratislava, Slovakia, as a rethought maisonette by GRAU architects. The apartment shifts from a compact two-room split-level into a layered home with a generous terrace and a clear day-night rhythm. Spread across the highest floors of a corner building, it pairs an art-forward living level with a quiet lower floor, letting light, circulation, and flexible furniture set the tone.
Soft daylight slides along a blue stair, then spills across pale wood. From the upper landing, the horizon opens and the terrace draws the eye across the city.
This is an apartment in Bratislava, remade by GRAU architects as a two-level home with a clear sequence from rest to activity. The plan prioritizes movement and zoning: a quiet lower level for sleeping and bathing, and an open upper level arranged around a central box that organizes daily life and art.
Descend To Rest
The lower floor works as the night zone. A bedroom, children’s room, and a bathroom wrapped by a translucent copilite wall bring daylight into the entrance hall while preserving privacy.
Circulation stays direct and calm, keeping doors aligned and corners clear for storage and routines. Light filters through the glassy wall during the day, so the hall never reads as an afterthought.
Climb To Daylight
A dominant staircase rises to the living level. The run lands at a generous room edged by large windows on all sides, with immediate access to the terrace for air and long views.
Here, the stair acts as a cue and a pause—arrive, turn, then choose a lane for reading, music, cooking, or conversation. The vivid blue finish and open guard amplify direction without adding clutter.
Box Sets The Plan
At the center, an inserted box defines the plan. It holds the toilet and, as a mood lamp, casts a soft halo that steadies evenings and adds a quiet glow for art.
Walls of the box serve as gallery surfaces for paintings, turning circulation into a low-speed gallery walk. By splitting the floor into distinct zones, the element keeps the room legible without closing it down.
Rooms In Sequence
Functions line up around the box in a logical chain. A reading nook, a piano area, a long kitchen with dining, and a living room sit in easy dialogue but avoid overlap.
Mobile stairs, a sofa that works from two sides, and a stretched kitchen unit tune the apartment for changing routines. People can circulate freely, shift seats for gatherings, and still keep clear lines for daily tasks.
Material Punctuation
Neutral finishes keep the layout legible. White walls, exposed concrete gutters, birch plywood, dovetail parquet oak, stainless steel counters, and black‑and‑white furniture set a calm register for art.
Each surface does a job, not a gesture: the oak underfoot warms the long run, stainless steel tightens the kitchen edge, and the blue stair marks the main route with confidence.
Evening gathers and the box glows, turning the upper level into a gentle circuit. On clear days, doors open to the terrace and the plan extends outdoors. The apartment reads as movement and pause, all carried by light and a sure sequence.
Photography by Matej Hakár
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