Interior designer Ewa Karoń of CHATA ID has completed the interiors of a flat measuring close to 100 square metres near Estepona, Spain, for a family from Wrocław with two teenage daughters. The brief was for a contemporary home with a holiday feel, free from the usual beige developer finishes and suited to life between Poland and Andalusia.
Developer finishes and a missing kitchen
New-build flats in Spain are generally handed over at a more advanced stage of completion than is usual in Poland. Floors, doors and skirting boards are already fitted, and bathrooms are tiled and equipped with sanitaryware. Fitted kitchens and built-in wardrobes are also common. The flat near Estepona had all of these features except the kitchen.
White walls and a lack of light fittings and decorative accessories are standard in these flats. Karoń’s task was to give the space a character that reflected its owners. She planned the scheme from scratch, from the kitchen, lighting and furniture to curtains, cushions and decorative vases. She personally oversaw the entire process on site, including the design, selection of suppliers and final details.
Colour inspired by Andalusia
The aim was a home with a holiday atmosphere, rather than another version of the beige-and-white interiors typically offered by developers. Karoń wanted subtle touches of colour to warm the bright interior and evoke a colourful Spain where plants flower almost all year round. This led to accessories in shades of amaranth, yellow and orange. The palette took its cue from the orange trees that the clients love and that grow almost everywhere around Estepona.
A large terrace forms a natural extension of the flat, with two sunloungers, a table and chairs, and a comfortable seating area. Planting is a key feature, with palms, orange trees, succulents and other species typical of the region.
Art was an essential part of the living room scheme. Paintings by Vanessa Roget, an Australian artist who lived in Marbella for many years, hang on the walls.
Sourcing in two countries and a tight stairwell
Coordinating deliveries between Poland and Spain was central to the project. Karoń worked with suppliers in both countries, bringing some of the furnishings from Poland in a single shipment and buying the rest locally. This approach calls for a good understanding of the Spanish market: knowing what to buy locally and what offers better quality and value when sourced from Poland, even after transport costs.
Getting the furniture into the flat proved the hardest part. Stairwells in buildings of this kind can be awkwardly proportioned, with less than two metres of headroom in places, which made the large beds particularly difficult to manoeuvre. The team managed without a crane by temporarily removing all the stairwell balustrades, then refitting them more securely than before. Despite the tight access, all the furniture was brought in and the interior completed, ready for the Wrocław family to return to as they divide their time between Poland and Andalusia.
Like this flat near Estepona? Discover more projects by CHATA ID and more interiors photographed by Marcin Leszczyński of Marle Studio, and get in touch with them directly through their PLNDesign profiles.
See also:
- Sliding textile art conceals a television in a Warsaw penthouse
- Living moss covers a wall in a Polish home by TIKA DESIGN
