House Tour: A Writer's Richly Colored Flat by Colombe Studio
Photography by Kasia Gatkowska, courtesy of Colombe Studio
This Warsaw flat by Marta Chrapka of Colombe Studio belongs to a writer of historical novels and his wife, who asked Chrapka to transform a renovated-for-the-worse apartment into a sophisticated pied-à-terre. After reinstating period details via moldings, herringbone oak floors, and grand windows, Chrapka filled the space with custom, new, and vintage pieces—plus a warm mix of rust and brick red tones punctuated with gold accents. Take a look.
"The style began when we found the golden rhubarb lamp; that was the first and the most important decorative point,” says Chrapka.
Chrapka, pictured, graduated from the European Academy of Art in Warsaw and has a painterly eye when it comes to colors.
“The clients told me that the only color they do not like is yellow,” Chrapka says, “but when I showed them the Pierre Frey fabric, they fell in love.”
The kitchen, open to the living room, was inspired by a Josef Frank-designed sideboard featuring walnut discs and glass doors.
Confirmation of Chrapka’s genius when it comes to colors: an arresting and wholly unexpected color pairing in the powder room.
Statement doors, carved from solid walnut and inspired by Krakowian design, separate the public spaces from the private ones.
Nearly every room has a diagonal wall; in the bedroom, Chrapka straightened the room with the help of a built-in headboard and cabinet.
William Morris wallpaper in the spare bedroom/study.
On the walls: Mouse’s Back by Farrow & Ball.