Garden Room
We have designed a contemporary Garden Room, situated in Oslo. The background for the project was to upgrade a worn and not very user-friendly common space in a residential building from the 80’s. Before the renovation the space had a lot of temporary solutions and was mainly used for storage, making it appear overall un-welcoming. The residents wanted to turn the space into a place that could be used for entertaining and social gatherings in connection to the garden.
When the residential building was completed, the garden played a central role in the social aspect for the residents. The garden and common space was used as an arena that created a well-working social community for the inhabitants. Through the years many of the residents have moved out while new residents have moved in, which weakened the social aspect the architecture played. The residents therefore wanted to increase the position by renovating and making the space more accessible for everyone.
Throughout the project we have focused on creating functional solutions of high quality. With the architectural fundament in mind, we selected colours, materials and new elements based on the location of the space with its connection to the garden. The palette therefore consists of light, fresh and earthy tones, which all in all create a harmonic and dynamic palette.
The old floors were replaced with tiles for easy maintenance. The walls and ceiling were painted in warm hues, and a small and practical kitchen was installed. Glossy green tiles stretches from the entrance and throughout the kitchen, bringing some of the colours of the garden into the space. They also create a contrast to the overall softer tones and matte surfaces. The wall tiles work as a focal point and can be seen as the jewellery of the space. The oak furniture provides a warm touch, while the red lacquered chair legs draw lines to the brick façade of the building. These different elements combined results in a welcoming space that facilitates social gatherings and increased use.
