A Blue Kitchen Anchors the Renovation of a Historic Warsaw Apartment

Tucked inside a nearly hundred-year-old building in Warsaw, this apartment tells a story of careful balance: history preserved, but not frozen in time. When the new owners first stepped inside, they were captivated by its original character, such as oak parquet floors, glass doors, and softly rounded ceiling edges.

Their vision was clear from the start: honor the apartment’s heritage while shaping it into a functional, welcoming home for modern family life.

To achieve this, they turned to the architects at Unicreations, who led a thoughtful renovation that carefully reimagined the original layout while protecting the apartment’s historic soul.

design by Unicreations and photography by Tomo Yarmush

The apartment was originally designed in a traditional layout, where rooms connect in a sequence through aligned doorways. Rather than dramatically altering this structure, the architects chose to refine it.

A new opening between the kitchen and living room improves circulation and creates a more social flow, while the direct connection between the two bedrooms was closed to provide privacy. These subtle adjustments preserve the apartment’s rhythm of rooms while making daily life more practical.

Equally important was the restoration of its historic details. The original oak parquet floors were carefully revived, glass doors were preserved, and the soft, curved transitions between walls and ceilings were retained.

The biggest transformations took place in the kitchen, bathroom, and powder room, where contemporary materials and new fixtures bring the apartment fully into the present.

Color and material choices throughout the apartment draw inspiration from an unexpected source: one of the owners’ wedding photos, taken on a dune by the Baltic Sea.

From this image came the home’s palette: the muted blues of the sky and sea, the sandy tones of the dunes, and the greens of the surrounding pine forests. These shades were translated into a calm interior landscape that feels both natural and deeply personal.

Materials reinforce this connection. The restored oak parquet provides warmth and continuity, while American walnut joinery introduces depth and richness. In the kitchen and bathroom, a bold blue resin floor adds a contemporary note, echoing the coastal inspiration.

The kitchen represents the most striking transformation in the apartment. Designed as a single monolithic volume, it centers on a seamless surface made from HIMACS in the soft blue Sapphire tone.

The base cabinets, countertop, and plinths are all crafted from the same material, creating a continuous horizontal block. Even the inset sinks are integrated into the surface, producing a smooth, non-porous finish that is both practical and visually calming. Subtle grooves milled into the countertop function as a drainer, guiding water back into the sink.

Opposite the blue unit stands a tall walnut storage tower that houses the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Its warm tone contrasts beautifully with the cool blue surfaces, grounding the space and adding visual depth.

Throughout the home, furniture selections reinforce the theme of blending eras. Minimalist custom joinery sits alongside carefully chosen vintage pieces, creating an interior that feels layered rather than staged.

During the design process, the owners developed a fascination with mid-century design classics. These vintage finds, paired with newly crafted cabinetry, bring personality and warmth to the otherwise calm, minimalist palette.

The bathroom is discreetly concealed behind a full-height mirrored door, blending seamlessly into the surrounding wall.

Inside, the material palette echoes the kitchen while introducing new textures. The bold blue resin floor continues here, paired with a walnut cabinet that mirrors the kitchen’s warm accents. In the shower niche, stone tiles add a tactile, grounded quality.

High ceilings and generous natural light give the room a sense of openness, transforming what could have been a purely functional space into a calm, almost hidden retreat.