A minimal bronze partition wall in a high end apartment | Trends ’19


After London based Ula Burgiel had been asked to design a serene and spacious home in the heart of Manhattan, she took the view from the apartment as the starting point for its design. “I have a bit of a different design process” she explains: “I sketch a lot. This is how I communicate my ideas to the world. 


As the apartment is located very high above the street level it feels very airy and (almost) a part of the sky. I wanted to make it the biggest feature of the apartment. There are a lot of glazed walls that let the light in but they can be screened at any time with automatic curtains for more privacy.


Bronze partition walls
The apartment is a true oasis, a sanctuary in the heart of the vibrant city where the resident, a fashion blogger, can above all relax in between Fashion Weeks and photoshoots. Seeing the occupation of the owner Ula also focused on turning every corner of the space into a photo opportunity.

What really caught my eye in this apartment is the bronze used in the partition wall, while we see a lot of industrial black galvanised steel or aluminium glass walls and doors used in- and outside our homes at the moment, the bronze feels so refreshing, sophisticated and new! 

It has the industrial touch I love so much but in a lighter and more minimalistic approach. It made me immediately think of the post I wrote last year about brass shutters: Could brass shutters be the next big thing where slightly different material was used but with the same surprising effect and seen recently used, more trends at the end of the post if you are up for it! 


Symmetry and proportion
Symmetry and proportion played an important role. Ula: “It introduces balance and a sense of purpose. You can see it in the layout, the joinery design and proportions of the rooms. The entrance to the bathroom is located directly opposite the bed so you pay attention to the feature basins. When lying in bed you can still see the panoramic view of the city but the windows are not too close to you. 


There’re a lot of central axis like this – everything has it’s place and it feels just right. I wanted the bedroom, bathroom and the dressing room to create one big private space and not be separated and divided into small boxes. I’ve put the bare minimum amount of walls to let the natural light into every corner of the apartment.


Ula Burgiel & trends used as seen in Milan
Ula Burgiel is a Luxury Interior Designer based in London, designing modern and hi-end interiors for homes around the world: London, Hong Kong and New York as-well-as interiors of luxury yachts and cruise ships. Her style can be described as contemporary minimalism with understated luxury.

After visiting Milan and attending some trend lectures, where many of the new projects, new designs, ideas and installations as seen in Milan were discussed again I recognize a lot of the trends we will see more of in 2019 in this apartment.

Less is more
Less is more and minimalism are keywords in Ula’s design, one of the reasons she actually contacted me to present her projects is our common love for this she told me. In 2019 minimalism is something we will see a lot more off, lucky me! When adapting minimalism into your home, the focus will be more on the few things we allow in our homes, something I am shouting out for years as my personal favourite way of living and decorating my home.


Another trend I recognize in Ula’s drawing for the apartment and pointed out by Monique van de Reijden at a Dutch Elle Decoration Trend watching event the other day, is the spiral staircase, the club chairs and the colourful soft chairs around the table. According to Monique the round table is making a huge comeback and therefor smaller chairs that fit the table are seen more often. As the the apartment is calm and serene the colours come from the furniture, in this case a colourful pink! 

Also a trend as seen also in the kitchen picture below, are the repeating lamps. Furthermore also marble is still very on trend, according to Monique with huge veins! Also the mirrored marble trend I pointed out myself when visiting imm Kitchen Cologne (see here in my highlights at Living kitchen) is trending. 

Thank you so much Ula for writing me and sending me your amazing projects. 
More of her work soon on the blog. 

All pictures are ©Ula Burgiel