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July 29, 2024 – Published in Design & Decor Spring-Summer 2024 issue
An oasis of serenity blended with azure tones
Words Maria Mercieca
Photography Therese Debono
This stunning family apartment in the heart of Sliema portrays an echo of the blue shades of the sea found nearby. An extensive renovation project by accomplished interior designer, Maria Mercieca, resulted in a modern but practical style, reflecting the family’s request for a relaxing atmosphere.
The interior colour scheme is mainly in white or neutral colours, with the floors in a concrete finish. With the aim of bringing the concept of the sea inside, the décor was enhanced by touches of the owners’ favourite colour blue, as well as several paintings of the ocean and marine life.
The four-bedroom home incorporates an open-plan kitchen alongside capacious dining and living areas with bespoke furniture and units. The kitchen bulkhead, constructed in Barrisol, is backlit to create indirect lighting over the breakfast table, while the cream dining table comes with eight comfortable high-backed chairs. Plush sofas offer multiple seating options, and wide floor-to-ceiling doors open out into an enlarged terrace to create a sizeable entertainment zone.
The homeowners knew it was not possible to have a traditional fireplace installed inside a flat. However, renowned local company, Star Fires, provided a customised solution, and an ethanol fireplace was placed between the sitting room and the living area, with the open flames spreading a warm glow into the surroundings.
Using her talents as a light designer, Maria created a calming and fluid aura throughout the apartment.
All the installed lighting solutions form part of the Delta Light range, which may be procured locally from ESS and Elektra Ltd. The top and bottom detail on the furniture allowed the placement of recessed linear LED strips that give the impression that the furniture is floating. These pockets of light create a sense of warmth, completely changing the atmosphere in the lounge as the day flows into the night and the lights are turned on. This indirect lighting—mixed with the more functional light features—enhances the cosy ambience the family enjoys in their home.
“I like using mirrors and touches of colour to make a space more dynamic,” Maria revealed. “Mirrors extend the length of a room or emphasise curves found within the space. Introducing colour adds more character to these reflections.”
Maria used glass to create a vibrant impact around the apartment. The wooden shelf of the unit in the sitting room was sprayed blue and then covered in clear glass to add to the shine effect and provide focal points on the decorative ornaments. The corridor presents the same colour scheme in the resin-coated glass which forms part of the sentimental memory wall displaying special family photos.
The blue glass theme was carried over into the main bedroom and ensuite.
The furniture in the bedroom was all customised, with a gypsum partition concealing a walk-in wardrobe with functional lighting.
The glass used in this room was coated in a blue resin spray, retaining its transparency inside the niches surrounding the bed, while creating a vivid colour contrast against the white timber unit. The same technique was used for the blue glass in the door to the ensuite bathroom—only this time, the resin spray was opaque for privacy.
One of the other bedrooms introduces the concept of a floating bed. Because of the continuous linear light strip in the corridor, a section of the bedroom floor had to be raised. Maria wanted the space to work, so she came up with the innovative idea of placing one half of the bed on the raised platform, while the other half is actually floating above the concrete floor. Strategic lighting under the bed cleverly reinforces this illusion.
Another bedroom has a curved soffit with slim ceramic tiles decorated with flowers recessed within the gypsum. Soft indirect lighting illuminates the bed, which is decorated with floral cushions. The elevated base on which the head of the bed rests stretches out to the sides and can be used in place of bedside tables. Mirrored doors on the wardrobe visually expand the size of the room.
The unique design in one of the other bathrooms was inspired by the restrooms on an aeroplane.
“My client’s husband was undergoing a pilot’s course at the time,” Maria expounded, “and this gave me the idea to incorporate a mix of materials, including white mosaic and stainless steel, to visually divide the functions of the space and give the feel of a galley bathroom—complete with an internal stainless-steel lining for the toilet. I affixed micro mosaic tiles, available in sheet form, to the gypsum ceiling curve. Additionally, their pliability allowed me to create a subtle curve where the gypsum meets the floor.”
In the third bathroom, the concrete floor transitions seamlessly from the corridor, stopping abruptly where it meets the bespoke mosaic tiles that extend up the walls and curve around the gypsum bulkhead. The colourful mosaic patterns were custom-designed for this project. The niched shelf’s surface and vertical backing were coated with a green resin spray. Mirror-clad walls further enhance the curved ceiling, creating a sense of continuity and amplifying the perceived size of the space. Through the strategic use of materials, colour blocks are formed, adding visual interest to the overall design.
Maria Mercieca is a senior interior and lighting designer and owner of M+ Design Studio in Sliema. She is also a founding member and treasurer at MIDA, the Malta Interior Design Association.
M+ Design Studio
5, St. Gregory Street, Sliema
+356 7920 7890
www.instagram.com/mplusdesignmalta
