Couple's DesignForward DIY Makeover Transforms 1960s Apartment

Renovating an apartment can be a daunting task, especially if you're looking for something unusual but on a budget. One possible solution is to go the DIY route. Thanks to new technologies like computer-aided design and manufacturing, it's possible to create something beautifully customized with a little sense of adventure and a little know-how.

This is how Australian couple David Chapman and Jess Grunow transformed their small two-bedroom apartment in the Melbourne suburb of Thornbury. Industrial designer Chapman and graphic designer Gruneau wanted to update the 1960s-era units, choosing to renovate on a small scale with sustainability in mind. They achieved this by designing the project furniture themselves and assembling it with the help of a local manufacturer. The results are impressive and refreshing, as we can see in this short tour of a newly renovated apartment by Common Living:

As Grunov explains, doing things with one's own hands has always been a habit, and this apartment is no exception.

“Even when we rented, we were always interested in customizing our spaces and always found clever ways to cut standard furniture or go outside of everything to make something that fit the space. Special, and I think this apartment has a lot." DIY spirit on a grand scale.

The layout of the apartment consists of a hallway leading to the living room, kitchen, bedroom and home office. There were already large windows with a view of the city.

The living room has several built-in cabinets that run around the perimeter of the space, eliminating visual clutter like cables, providing plenty of storage space. The uninterrupted line of the cabinet provides ample space for displaying design objects illuminated by rows of LED lamps.

Most new project cabinets are CNC cut. As Chapman explains, this helps make the process more efficient and reduce waste;

“Using the CNC process, we can design and set up the parts here in AutoCAD, send them off site to be cut, bring them back here, and that tells us to spend time on assembly, and then have the manufacturer help us install. that: that":

Like the living room, the kitchen has many personal touches that make it unique. Again, we have custom CNC machined cabinets with custom metal drawers that are machined on site using a press. As Chapman points out, birch plywood was the best choice for this DIY project;

“We wanted the materials to be strong and durable. Birch plywood was the first material we chose. We both love the look of plywood, but we also love the yoga style that the material itself celebrates." We love the warmth that natural materials bring to the home."

Grunow customized the refrigerator as a tribute to his favorite food, the tomato. The ceilings are made of large tiles, pre-cut with water jets and assembled on site.

There is a corner dining room with a custom made bench, storage underneath and made from scrap plywood.

The same birch plywood was used here for the hall closet, which now has a sliding door to open the coat and linen closet or the mirrored niche.

The bedroom is small and simple.

A home office has a wall of open shelving on one side and a desk on the other. Grunov, who is interested in ceramics as a hobby, can exhibit his ceramic works here.

By doing so, the couple was able to save money and have more control over the design and construction process of their townhouse. As Chapman notes, living in an apartment is not an obstacle to sustainable development.

“When we were planning the building, we didn't address some of the more important aspects of sustainability that we would have liked, so those included things like solar, insulation, glazing and especially the orientation of the building. So what we had to think about was how we can be sustainable on a smaller scale through the choice of materials, and also reduce waste through the efficient use of those materials."