Toruń, Poland. The renovation of a baroque palace revolves around the bathroom

In the Polish city of Toruń, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, architect Paweł Tatara together with Znamy Się studio transformed an old Baroque building used as a granary into a complex of nine apartments on three floors.

Different in size and height, the apartments are arranged around a colored "cube" - as the architects call it – located at the center of the floor plan, which houses the bathroom. Designed as a pivotal point around which the bedroom and living room are distributed, the "cube" contrasts with the historical elements of the architecture and is enriched by a stained glass window whose geometric decorative motif is inspired by Toruń’s heritage. In the living area, the space receives a burst of energy from the vivid color of the stained-glass window, whose hint is reflected on a portion of the living’s walls.

The color code helps to distinguish the apartments, which share a certain uniformity in terms of finish: a grid effect distinguishes the white ceramic tiles in the bathroom and kitchen, while the wood of the parquet floor echoes with the exposed beams, making the living area soft and harmonious. The wooden seats have the same essential taste and prefer understated neutral tones. Thanks to their double height, the apartments on the top floors have their sleeping area on a mezzanine that, without separating walls, overlooks the entire surface of the apartment, being invested by light.