An apartment renovation expert is like a plastic surgeon. You first listen to the customer to understand what they want and what does the house of their dreams look like. Next you examine the property to see the state it is in, what can be done and how, all at an affordable cost. Also, an expert’s job is to offer suggestions, taking the customer’s ideas and improving upon them.
Our team has the experience needed to undertake complex renovation projects, like the complete refurbishment of a property, but we are flexible enough to stick to what a customer has in mind. If they want to upgrade only the kitchen we can do that, if they want a full renovation that’s also fine. Actually, it is often that a customer comes to us with what seems like a simple job, like renovating the bathroom, but as the work progresses they decide they want more because nothing compares to the feeling of a new house. Well, not exactly new, but is sure feels like that once you’ve changed the floors and the tiles in the kitchen. Feels like a new beginning!
Giving old houses a new lease on life
In most cases, people who require our services are those who have just bought a new property. Even if it’s in good condition, you still want to put your mark on the house, make it yours by changing a few things. Maybe you don’t like the wall paint or maybe the kitchen is not exactly your style. We understand the desire to redecorate or repurpose a room. Everyone is different and what seemed beautiful to the previous owner might not look all that great to you.
Often enough, our customers buy an apartment or a house that badly needs renovating. That’s always a good deal as such properties are cheaper and you get to decorate it just the way you want. We can help you choose the best flooring, redo the electric installation, choose a color scheme to give the house a theme to bring it all together.
One other thing our experts can do for you is to suggest a better layout for each room to make the most of the available space. A small room crammed full with large pieces of furniture will feel stuffy and downright oppressive, so a minimalist decor might be a more suitable choice.
Save yourself the headache!
Hiring a renovation team spares people a lot of headache and time. Money, too! Most people are competent enough for a small DIY job, like reapplying a coat of paint in the kids’ bedroom. That’s easy, but when you’re looking at a full refurbishment project you need to know what to expect and how to avoid costly mistakes. That comes with experience and our team has overseen plenty of jobs to know when an electrical team might be needed or what plumbing problems might appear in the bathroom. Not only do we know what to expect, but we also know who to call in for specialized professionals. Our team is pretty solid, but should the necessity arise we have an extensive network of trusted tradesmen one phone call away.
This way the job can be completed to your total satisfaction and in record time. You don’t want to halt all the work for three days because you cannot find an electrician, trust us!
However, the most important thing for a good renovation expert is to listen to the clients and do his best to make their dreams come true.
A job that we are proud of
Our team was called upon to do a full renovation of an apartment in downtown Bucharest, on the Stefan cel Mare Boulevard. The first thing you need to know about buildings in this part of town is that they are old and the rooms rather small, which is quite obvious from the images. The location is excellent but such an apartment needs someone who knows all the tricks to make it feel larger and maximize the use of every square inch of space. We’re not magicians and cannot pull a bigger place out of our hats, well caps in our case, but we know how to use colors and lighting to trick the eye into seeing a room larger than it really is.
BEFORE
AFTER
The first thing we did was paint the walls white, the yellowish shade the previous owners had is not helpful at all. Painting a wall in a contrasting color, as we’ve done in the living room only adds depth to the room and that’s a plus.
Another must when you’re dealing with a property in an old building is replacing all windows and doors with PVC or aluminum ones. It’s not just a question of aesthetics, it is essential to keep the house warm in winter and coo in summer and save money on the heating bill. Old apartments have the tendency to have more doors than they really need so we actually took down one which was totally unnecessary.
One trick that comes in handy when renovating an apartment in Bucharest is knowing which walls can be taken down according to local regulations. For a small apartment such drastic measures are often needed. In this particular case, we took down the walls separating the balconies from the kitchen and living room. You simply have to because it makes the house feel more spacious. Don’t worry, we know what we need to do so you won’t freeze in your new living room. It usually involves replacing the existing radiators with large modern ones and positioning the AC unit so it gives you that extra bit of warmth you need on a cold winter day.
Speaking of the kitchen, please note our elegant solution to make it more roomy, by replacing the old table with a modern counter for a quick breakfast or a cozy dinner.
The bathroom badly needed a makeover and since the new owners were young people who perfectly OK with a shower we did away with the old bathtub. Just like that! The old tiles were replaced with a bold black and white pattern, creating a bit of contrast with the white vanity, complete with wall lighting.
If you look at the ‘before’ pictures, it’s obvious the previous owners were older folks who treasured their once classical furniture and definitely had too much of it. Unacceptable for such rooms. Take a look at the old dining room now transformed into a comfy living room with an L-shaped couch and a stylish coffee table in front of a wide-screen TV. What else do you need for a quiet evening?
As for the bedroom, we made that as white as possible, with a couple of dark-colored bed throws for contrast and the effect is stunning. Please notice the closet has a mirror door, that’s another trick to make the room larger.
The whole electrical wiring had to be changed, that’s a must in old buildings and we did away with overhead light fixtures, quite a bother when the rooms are not all that tall.
If the previous owners could see how the apartment looks today, they wouldn’t recognize it as their old home!
Let there be light!
By Bucharest standards, this apartment on Tineretului Boulevard was in a fairly good condition when we were offered the project. Nice floor, new PVC windows, all recently installed. However, if you look at the ‘before’ pictures the whole place had a gloomy atmosphere, kind of a dark place. In such cases, we always try to make the most of what we have without edging our customers into unnecessary expenses. An apartment in this area is already expensive, we’re well aware of that.
BEFORE
AFTER
The floor was of good quality, definitely a keeper, but the furniture simply had to go. Our clients wanted a modern living room as minimalist as possible. In such cases all you need is a large couch and a TV commode with some storage space, that’s always necessary. The shelves had to go, to make room for a small home office area, also minimalist. We used a white area rug to better define the relax part of the room from the workplace one. It’s always important to keep those separated.
We also gave the bedroom an airy look by putting in a white bed with an assorted nightstand.
The bathroom, well, that was tough. The deep blue tiles made the room seem cramped, just the sort of place where you go in for a quick shower and get out as fast as you can. As we always advise our customers in such situations, we replaced the tub with a shower and changed the ceramic tiles to a light color, also bringing in a white vanity. This complete makeover, makes the bathroom simply more inviting, a place where you can relax.
Then there’s the hallway which, in our humble opinion, is a masterpiece. Most hallways in old apartments are drab and sad. It’s like they’re not even part of the house, just a space you need to cross when going to another room. Terrible! We completely refurbished the hallway by painting it white. With the clever use of mirrors we made this drab corner into an airy corner where you can admire your new dress before leaving home and even check on your makeup. That’s how bright it is now. At the same time, we added a white sideboard to serve as storage space, you can never have enough of that and that particular wall was completely useless before. Speaking of underused spaces, we always recommend modern wall paintings, in keeping with the rest of the decorations.
As we said before, every square inch counts!
If you’re considering renovating your house, don’t hesitate to contact us! No project is too complex for our experienced team. Every house deserves a new look and we can make yours amazing!
