Apartment and work studio for Vegan Chef Mickey Rotten
The apartment designed for the famous private vegan chef, Mickey Rotten is located in the green area of Saska Kępa near the centre of Warsaw. Mickey is a unique personality. He has lived in Mexico, London and Bali but finally came back to Warsaw where he was born. Maria Schoen the architect shared similar experience, she built international presence while she was living abroad and working on several projects in London and Mallorca. Maria and Mickey got along very well. Mickey needed an extraordinary space where he could cook, organise secret dinners,and broadcast his Youtube channel. The aim of the project was to create a universal space combining the living area and workspace. All existing walls were demolished to introduce a completely new, fresh arrangement which meets all of the owners requirements. Most of the space was converted into a roomy kitchen with a long table where Mickey is able to prepare his experimental food and host culinary workshops and other events like the previously mentioned secret dinners. The kitchen is the main functional space but also the design highlight as it is very important to the owner. It was formed as a modern sculpture made from simple colour blocks of plywood, painted in semi-transparent paint so the wood pattern is visible. All of the chairs are vintage and found in flea markets and antique shops. The walls of the kitchen have been distressed so the previous layers of paints are exposed to create an unique background for the sculpture of the kitchen and gives the space a little bit of an industrial look. The floor in the whole apartment is finished with smooth terrazzo, letting the black and white pattern play perfectly with simple colour blocks of the kitchen. There are two types of lights, technical lighting on the ceiling and also very simple copper lamps with dimmers above the table that allows Mickey to create a unique atmosphere when needed. The living space is hidden behind a metal glass division. The bed is situated in a bespoke natural plywood platform. The walls and the hanging, made-to-order plywood cabinets are painted in a pale pink to welcome a calm, relaxed atmosphere for sleeping and meditation. The bathroom is located next to the entrance, easily accessible for the guests. The bathroom is also black, industrial and simple with walls finished in raw, black cement. The bathtub, basin and mirror are set in custom construction made from black, powder coated metal profiles. The bold project reflects Mickeys open, vivid and extravagant personality. The main materials used in this project are: plywood, wood, black metal, black and white terrazzo.
