Bebek Penthouse Apartment

On the hillside of Bebek, a penthouse commanding the Bosphorus. The home of a young collector couple, this space had a clear brief: make the view the hero of the design and bring everything inside into a quiet harmony with it. The existing fragmented plan was transformed into a cohesive living space; living, dining and kitchen were recomposed as a single fluid volume.

We kept the material palette deliberately restrained. Lime-based plaster on the walls, wide-plank natural oak on the floor, veined travertine in the kitchen and bathrooms. This neutral ground leaves room for the couple's art collection and the shifting light of the Bosphorus. Colour comes not from the space itself but from the works that enter it and the sky that changes through the day.

Storage was the quiet hero of this project. To resolve the generous storage a collecting couple needs without crowding the space, we designed handleless cabinetry recessed into the walls. The full-height bookcase in the living room doubles as an architectural element that conceals the television and sound system. The kitchen island was scaled to serve both as a work surface and a gathering point for everyday meals.

Lighting was the most important layer in setting the atmosphere. The window edges were left clear to maximise daylight; in the evenings a multi-layered scheme of concealed LED strips, adjustable spots and bespoke pendants takes over. With a single touch the space can move from morning coffee to a dinner gathering.

The bathrooms hold the most luxurious moments of the apartment. In the main bathroom, floor-to-ceiling travertine, a recessed bathtub and underfloor heating are completed by a resting corner that faces the view. All sanitaryware and fittings were chosen with brass details in keeping with the warm metal tones of the palette.

The entire project was delivered by our studio, from design through to turnkey handover. Over the seven-month build, all the cabinetry in the kitchen and bathrooms and the living-room bookcase were produced in our own joinery workshop. The result is a home far from ostentation yet considered in every detail, fitting its owners' way of living exactly. For us, the Bebek Penthouse sums up what good interior architecture is: a design that does not put itself forward, but lifts up the people who live in it and the view beyond.