Located in the neighboring mountains of capital Beirut, the apartment designed by Studio Etienne Bastormagi is located at Faqra ski resort within a building block that hosts a group of duplex chalets.
Studio Name: Studio Etienne Bastormagi
Design Team: Aya Youssef
Area: 125 sqm
Year: 2020
Location: Lebanon
Consultants:
Photography Credits: Wissam Chaaya
Following an economic crisis in Beirut that requestioned the economic models available in the country, the studio’s approach to the project was one where alternative means were explored.
This entails minimal purchases of readymade item, and a larger focus on not only designing the space and the layout but also on the development of the major pieces within the space as a sustainable model for working with local crafts.
The ground floor was designed as an open space plan extending to the outdoor garden which hosts the entrance, kitchen, and a small dining and a reception area. A two-floor storage space was created to act as the main core and service provider of this duplex chalet apartment.
The focus on a monochromatic palette of colors allows for materials and texture to become the highlight of the main space. By using marble such as the arabescato, and brushed gun metal finish steel, the light becomes one of the main design elements of this living space.
The central core, which acts as a device where most of the duplex’s storage happens, includes a guest bathroom, a kitchen equipment space, a shelving device, and a staircase that connects to the upper bedroom floor.
The staircase is designed like a melting topography that turns at ground floor into a shelving near the chimney. With its concrete finish, it becomes the backdrop of the chalet.
A series of lighting structures, carefully attached to the central core, aims to create a mood of refined luxury and a warm atmosphere for residents and guests.
The second floor is reserved to a series of bedrooms, as well as a hidden storage space that unfolds within the two-floor storage space conceived within the apartment layout.
About firm: ETIENNE BASTORMAGI MAINTAINS A STRONG DIALOGUE BETWEEN ARCHITECTURE, INTERIOR SPACES AND DESIGN, AS A CONCEPTUAL ENGINE OF TRANSITION TO CARRY OUT HIS PROJECTS. THESE COMBINED DISCIPLINES PUSH HIM TOWARDS RESEARCH, EXPERIMENTATION AND PERFORMANCE TO EXPLORE THE INTRINSIC RELATIONSHIPS OF MAN WITH SPACE AND OBJECTS. THE STUDIO’S TRANSVERSAL APPROACH TO CREATIVE FIELDS ALLOWS IT TO PRESENT A RICH RANGE OF PROPOSALS.
BORN IN BEIRUT IN 1980, ETIENNE IMMERSED HIMSELF IN HIS TRAVELS BY OBSERVING THE PLAY OF SHADOWS AND LIGHT WHILE REMAINING ANCHORED IN HIS ORIENTAL ROOTS. AFTER STUDYING ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING, HE WORKED WITH SEVERAL MULTINATIONAL AGENCIES BEFORE OPENING HIS STUDIO IN 2016.
HIS ANALYTICAL APPROACH AND HIS INTERPRETATION OF MATERIAL PUSH HIM TO REFLECT ON THE IMPRINT, THE FUNCTIONALITY, AND THE INTEGRATION INTO THE ENVIRONMENT, BY APPLYING AN IDENTICAL PROCESS ON DIFFERENT SCALES. PROJECTS OF VARIABLE DIMENSIONS, DIVERSE CONTEXTS AND IMPLEMENTATIONS, HIS INTERVENTIONS DEFEND ABOVE ALL SUSTAINABILITY AND FUNCTIONALITY.
SINCE 2007, ETIENNE BASTORMAGI MOVED TOWARDS TEACHING ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN IN VARIOUS ACADEMIC ESTABLISHMENTS IN LEBANON.
IN 2017, HE CO-FOUNDED THE BOBA BRAND OF THOUGHTFUL MINIMALIST OBJECTS. ITS FURNITURE AND PRODUCTS ARE CENTERED ON ADAPTING TO SMALL SPACES, AND OUR NEW WAYS OF LIFE. BLURRING THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN DESIGN AND ART, HIS CREATIONS ARE EXHIBITED IN SEVERAL GALLERIES AND INTERNATIONAL FAIRS.
MULTIDISCIPLINARY AND INTERDISCIPLINARY, ETIENNE EXPLORES, RESEARCHES, INNOVATES AND INVENTS A NEW WAY OF LIVING. THIS ARCHITECT WITH SOBER LINES, BUT WITH AN EXTENSIBLE IMAGINATION TENDS TOWARDS RESPECT FOR THE HANDMADE, AND THE READING OF MATERIALS. CREATOR OF EMOTIONS, CRAFTSMAN OF SPACES, ETIENNE DRAWS NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR TODAY’S WORLD.
