A luxury apartment asks different questions of an interior designer than a house does. There is usually no garden to extend into, no loft to convert, and often very little scope to alter the building’s structure. The work becomes almost entirely about what happens within a fixed envelope, which makes every decision about layout, light and materials count for more.
Working Within a Fixed Footprint
In a penthouse or apartment, floor area is usually fixed from the outset, which means spatial planning carries more weight than in a house where an extension or loft conversion can resolve a shortage of space. Every square metre needs to justify its place in the plan, and the relationship between rooms, how the kitchen connects to the living space, how a principal bedroom sits in relation to the rest of the apartment, becomes the primary design problem to solve.
Light, Views and Glazing
What apartments often have in greater abundance than houses is light and a view, particularly in penthouses with extensive glazing and outlooks across the city. Designing around this asset, rather than competing with it, usually means a more restrained material and colour palette that lets the view remain the focal point, with window treatments specified as much for light control and privacy as for appearance.
A restrained palette is not the same as a plain one. Texture, in stone, timber and textile, does the work that a busier colour scheme might otherwise be asked to do, and it tends to age far better against a backdrop that changes with the light and the seasons outside.
Storage in an Apartment
Storage is consistently the most underestimated requirement in apartment design. Without a garage, loft or shed to absorb the overflow of a household, every item needs a considered home within the apartment itself. This is usually solved through bespoke joinery designed into the architecture from the start, rather than freestanding furniture added after the fact.
Building Management and Lease Considerations
Apartments and penthouses often come with constraints that a freestanding house does not: a building management company, a lease with restrictions on alterations, and shared services that limit where plumbing or electrics can be moved. Understanding these constraints early, before a design is fully developed, avoids costly redesigns later in the process.
Designing for How Penthouse Living Actually Works
Many of our penthouse clients use their London apartment alongside a second home in Kent or Surrey, which changes the brief in a specific way. The apartment needs to function brilliantly for shorter, more concentrated periods of use, with the convenience and low maintenance that a second residence requires, while still feeling entirely considered rather than provisional.
If you are planning an interior for a penthouse or apartment in London, get in touch to arrange an initial conversation with BD Interiors, or book a call directly with our team.
