The newest buildings in Uus-Veerenni with their exciting external appearance authored by the authoritative architects at KOKO inspired a similarly unique and distinctive approach to this show apartment.
Apartment: Tiiu 14/1-53
Text and interior design: Loreida Hein
Photographs: Andres Raudjalg
In terms of the floor plan, this is a pleasantly proportioned two-room apartment with a spacious living room and cosy bedroom. The balcony can be accessed from both rooms. The sun smiles on the residents mainly in the morning hours, although some particularly sweet light effects appear in the apartment precisely in the evening when the sunrays reflect off the windows of the building’s side wing.
The apartment’s basic personality is a softly atmospheric nest that offers safe tranquility – the colour tones range from mild/succulent earth corners to deep blue. The palette’s gradients on the accent walls bring in a hint of mystery and invite attention. Using Baubauwall’s Ombre photo wallpaper, designer Triinu Silla created new wallpaper patterns and colour schemes as desired by the interior designer.
Against the wallpaper backdrop, the designers paired a comfortable lounging sofa in a sensual tone with a designer storage bed from the Oot-Oot line. One encounters Estonian design at every step – Jaanus Orgussaar’s pendant lights, Tarmo Luisk’s ceiling, wall and floor lamps (4ROOM), a Radis shelf with work desk (for sitting and standing), Elmet Treier’s distinctive metal furniture (the stool was ordered with a custom height), Narma rugs (including custom-sized hallway rug and frost-resistant balcony rug), and finally, local furniture producers’ products designed by the acclaimed foreign designers (Woodman and Tarmeko). Plywood furnishing elements are very appropriate in a development that is being built at the site of a former plywood factory.
The custom furniture made by the Virumaa family business Halver Arendus (the name refers to their roots in Haljala+Vergi) also made use of materials produced locally with great emphasis laid on reducing environmental impact. For example, the furniture with a silky matte surface from Latvia (Kronospan Feelness Ultra Matt) and a frame from Finland free of harmful additives (Koskisen Zero). The work desk’s compact HPL is very durable and waterproof, and the residual materials from the desktop were used to make the sofa tabletops and a side table as well.
The kitchen was increased by one module compared to the original plan – the fridge was moved closer to the entrance, which opened up some space at the other end for a wine fridge and a breakfast cabinet. A Smeg retro toaster with a matte blue finish and coffee machine can easily be extracted from the cabinet where they sit on metal shelves made by the Swiss manufacturer Peka. The waste bin can be opened from the handle or with a motion of the foot.
Light in the kitchen can be switched on and off by section, so that only the countertop or only the tops of the upper cabinets are illuminated. Countertop switches are embedded in a visible place. The switches themselves can be illuminated and if desired, can be set back to wall-switch operation if the user prefers.
A makeup table with mirror cabinet and electrical sockets has been integrated into the walk-in closet and behind the door is an open section for clothing that is likely to be worn again the next day. Here, too, there is separate lighting so that the general lighting doesn’t have to be turned on when people are still sleeping. There is also lighting inside the cabinet that comes on automatically when the door is opened.
Drawers, also with lighting, are accessible without opening the doors of the clothes closet and the Hettich LED strips are rechargeable, not connected to mains power. They can also be relocated to the kitchen drawers instead.
The light-blue satin bed linens were sewn by Eesti Tekstiil and the bamboo terry cloth towels are from the same place. A number of other accessories come from the Estonian Design House and the print graphics with sophisticated motifs that fit in well with the interior’s colour tones and pointed-arch window are the work of the young architect and artist Ahti Sepsivart. The works were loaned for the show apartment by Art&Tonic Gallery but the future homeowner, of course, has the option of buying them!
The show apartment, like all of the other larger apartments, has cooling, while cooling can also be added to the rest of the apartments if desired. Naturally, this is an energy class A building, with solar panels on the roof, the garage is ready to welcome electric vehicle owners and key minor details have been considered – the outer doors open automatically to make it easy and convenient to come home, and there’s a storage area for baby carriages and a bicycle wash station.
Each apartment has a Smart Home system that allows cooling, heating, general lighting, etc. to be controlled from an iPad next to the front door – even the lift can be summoned to one’s floor.
The apartments are finished to Merko’s quality standards, using oak parquet glued to the floor to prevent creaking and besides the basic furnishings the washrooms have a mirror, cabinet under the sink and a bidet-shower. The show apartment’s shower was fitted with a soft beige travertine and the chromed faucets were highlighted with copper-toned accessories.
The balconies at Tiiu 14 feature openable panes so that they would also be pleasant in cooler weather and furniture would be protected from the elements.
The Uus-Veerenni area is a peaceful and quiet place regardless of the proximity of the city centre. It boasts amazing interior courtyards, a community garden, nursery school, a covered outdoor gym, and many other surprises, like the Community Pantry (Kogukonnasahver), which can be used as a crafts room for residents and also stocks ice cream, bread and staples for purchase. Sports equipment like basketballs, volleyballs and table tennis paddles can also be borrowed for use in the award-winning internal park.
Video: Siim Kingisepp
Take a closer look at the Uus-Veerenni homes at merko.ee/en/uus-veerenni/
