Danube Views and Ancient Architecture Meet in Budapest Flat

Ramy Fischler Studio prides itself on the diversity of its work. Recent projects include a smart fridge, an Hermès perfume store in New York, a line of self-produced furniture, and Twitter’s office in Paris, where the French firm is based and in the process of implementing a new master plan to harmonize the café and restaurant terraces on the Champs-Elysées. From time to time, the studio accepts the odd residential commission. But as principal Ramy Fischler emphasizes, “If we take one on, it has to allow us a certain amount of creativity to develop something unique.”

Recently, an entrepreneur with interests in Hungary approached Fischler with what was certainly a singular assignment. He had bought five apartments in a new luxury development with sweeping views of Budapest—one for his own use, the others for guests—that he wanted decorated in more or less identical style. Fischler took the bait. “We spent a year on his unit, defining exactly what he wanted,” the designer says of the 3,750-square-foot, three-bedroom floor-through, which has an additional 1,100 square feet of outdoor space. “It wouldn’t have made sense to do something different in the others. The décor fits him like a glove and duplicating it means he can give people the same experience as staying with him, only they have their own space.”

The Apartment Design Reflects Vastu Shastra Principles

The client had another very distinct demand: The design should adhere strictly to the principles of Vastu Shastra, the traditional Indian system of architecture. “It’s used to determine the layout of everything from religious to domestic spaces,” Fischler says, noting that the ethos is “simple and frugal.” One of its precepts is that the center of a home should be an empty space free from obstructions like columns or staircases (a requirement satisfied by the apartment’s mid-floor entry hall). And each area in the house is related to one of the four elements—fire, water, earth, and air—to which distinct design rules and color palettes are attached.

Fischler admits that applying such edicts was not always easy, even given the apartment’s generous proportions. “The ideal locations according to Vastu Shastra for faucets, drainage, the kitchen, and so on were often in total contradiction to what was in place in the rest of the building,” he reports. Among the changes he had to make to his original plans was the position of the beds. “Normally I like to have them facing a window so there’s an equal amount of light on both sides,” he explains. “But that was impossible here because they needed to be turned toward the north.” Since the living area is in an “earth zone,” which requires furniture to be low and grounded, none of the seating could have legs or feet. Hence the custom sofas comprising large cushions perched on travertine-slab bases. And in an adjacent sitting nook with a somewhat Japanese aesthetic, two chairs have bronze arms and upholstered backs but no seats, the idea being that, supported by the frame, you sit directly on the floor.

Natural Materials Create a Tranquil Environment

Fischler’s overall aim was to create not only a tranquil environment decibel-wise but also a visually soothing one. “There’s a sort of sobriety and calm to the whole space,” he says. No doubt the principles of Vastu Shastra contribute to that, but he believes the rigor of the architectural detailing also plays its part. “For me, the framework has to be perfect. When each line is precise, it brings a sense of composure,” he asserts. “That’s always the goal I set myself.”

Inside the Budapest Flat Designed by Ramy Fischler Studio 

ramy fischler studio: frédéric alzeari; florence vlemelinx; xiao ye zhang; estelle tran

light is more: lighting consultant

safa: custom furniture workshop

au gré du verre: custom cocktail tables (living area)

maami home: side table

normann copenhagen: ottomans

rubelli: sofa fabric (LIVING AREA), PANEL FABRIC (SECOND GUEST BEDROOM)

epoca: custom sofas (living area), custom chairs (nook)

lasvit; manooi: custom ceiling fixture (living-dining area)

Gubi: lounge chairs (living area), armchairs (entry, guest bedroom)

Roll & Hill: chandelier (study)

ferm living: glasses, bowl (study), teapot (kitchen)

ligne roset: chairs (study, dining area)

Gaggenau: appli­ances (kitchen)

élitis: panel fabric (main bedroom)

d’argentat: custom nightstands

knoll: desk chair

oluce: table lamp

brossier saderne: custom sconces

Dedar: bed fabric (bedrooms)

holland & sherry: panel fabric (FIRST guest bedroom)

edel carpets: carpet (guest bedrooms)

ramy fischler collection: nightstands

manooi: custom sconces (GUEST bedrooms), custom candelabra (bathroom)

makro: tub (bathroom)

alape: sinks

Dornbracht: tub fittings, sink fittings

j.d. staron: custom rugs

tabu: wood veneer

through zsdrál art pop-up galéria: ceramics

This Luxe, Residential Tower in Spain is a First for Studio Odile Decq

The Paris-based Studio Odile Decq is known for work that encompasses architecture, urban planning, and art. Examples include the dynamic expansion of MACRO, a contemporary art museum in Rome; the Confluence Institute in Architecture, a school established by Odile Decq in 2014 in Lyon and now located in Paris; and Maison Bernard, a series of red, bubble-shape structures on the French Riviera that grew along with the family who commissioned it, as well as furniture and lighting for Poltrona Frau and Luceplan.

Clearly, the architect has worked in a variety of sectors. But her latest project, Antares Barcelona, a 26-story luxury apartment building, is her first residential high-rise. It’s also her first building in the Spanish city, located at the start of the famed Avenida Diagonal and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Decq won a competition in 2015 to design the building, which began construction in 2019 and was completed late last year.

Although she had to start with the existing skeleton of a project that was never completed, Decq made it her own. “My vision for the building,” she begins, “was to increase the perception of height. The building is square, and a bit fat. We added between seven and 10 floors, depending on the parts of the structure.” Decq also felt strongly, given its location, that “people feel they’re outside, since most sides of the building look at the sea.” Angled balconies on the four curved facades and floor-to-ceiling windows offer what Decq calls “fantastic views.” To take full advantage of them, Studio Odile Decq conceived the 88 apartments so that only the living rooms and bedrooms face the view. “The larger spaces are totally free,” she adds. There are two penthouses on the top floor, and duplex apartments from the 22nd to the 25th floors. They’re capped by a rooftop terrace, its infinity pool intended to “blend into the sea,” Decq notes.

One of Decq’s signatures is her use of color, and she employs that technique to full effect at Antares, particularly with red. “It’s the color of Barcelona,” she says. It’s visible from the exterior, as three of the building’s upper-level under-balconies are concrete integrally colored with the hue. Inside, on the ground floor, an undulating glass form that contains the lobby on one side, four elevators each have a different interior: mirrored, white, black, and, yes, red. Behind the custom reception desk, curved walls, covered with crimson lacquer over canvas, create a dramatic effect. On the other side of the lobby, a restaurant aptly named Grand Café Rouge is run by the Michelin-starred chef Romain Fornell. Decq designed the space, as well as its furniture and lighting, including the painted-steel tables and chairs and the striking metal and glass chandelier. A staircase, cloaked in more scarlet, bends sharply, leading to a mezzanine above.

In the garden, for which Decq chose the plantings, the vivid color reappears on the facade of an angular pavilion, which serves as a community space for Antares residents and a private party venue for the restaurant. In front of it, a stepped wooden dome has a glassed opening at the top that sends daylight down to the subterranean yoga room. It’s part of the project’s extensive wellness area; measuring over 10,000 square feet, it contains a gym, a spa, a sauna, steam and massage rooms, and a green wall—all nestled among another array of undulating walls, this time made of alder. Also here, under the ramp of the building’s parking garage, a moody, hammamlike room with layered, black stone walls encloses a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi. The underside of the ramp is clad in polished stainless steel that reflects the water, the rhythmic movement appearing like an art installation.

Above-ground, on the building’s 10th floor, Decq conceived the interiors of three model apartments, with the London office of Hirsch Bedner Associates completing furniture arrangements. Each residence has a theme based on the work of a legendary Spanish artist: Eduardo Chillida, Joan Miró, and Antoni Tàpies. Furnished with a mix of contemporary and classic 20th-century pieces, the rooms display their works, the décor’s palette borrowed from the art; for instance, in the Miró residence, a pair of George Nelson Coconut chairs has bright yellow upholstery. In these and the building’s other apartments, which range from one- to four-bedrooms, Decq designed the kitchen islands, tubs, sinks, and door handles.

The architect’s current projects include an office building in Paris, a competition for a house in Saudi Arabia, and two homes in Brittany, where the architect grew up. “I like doing houses when the clients are very particular,” Decq says. “When I did Antares, I was thinking how I’d love to live in it, and about the continuity between inside and outside.” Indeed, that continuity is seamless.

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fitó arquitectes: architect of record.

ferrés arquitectos y consultores: facade

static ingenieria: structural engineer

jg ingenieros: mep

hirsch bedner associates: model apartment consultant

carré furniture: woodwork.

oscarinox: ramp panels (pool)

porcelanosa: wall tile

dadra: custom chairs, custom tables (restaurant)

geometria viva: custom chandelier

freixanet wellness: chaise longues (relaxation area)

alucobond: facade (pavilion)

verdtical urban biotechnology: green wall (wellness area)

Christophe Delcourt: sofa, cocktail table (model)

vitra: chairs

ferm living: floor lamp

meridiani: red stool

moso: flooring (model), decking (roof)

cricursa: exterior glass