Nominee for the Annual Award of the Estonian Association of Interior Architects 2025
Architecture
Karli Luik, Johan Tali, Harry Klaar, Heidi Urb (molumba)
Interior architecture
Mari Põld, Kadi Karmann (T43 Sisearhitektid)
Construction
Hausers Ehitus
Commissioned by
Eratellija
Completed
2025
Location
Ankru 8, Tallinn
Photos
Tõnu Tunnel, Karl Kasepõld

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Ankru Apartment is situated in a former industrial building that was renovated by the architects of Molumba. The building’s characteristic vaulted ceilings and the specific geometry of the Bekker shipyard provided the starting point for developing the interior architecture for the apartment. For interior architects Mari Põllu and Kadi Berens, the goal was to create a home that both elevates the building’s architectural character and factors in the specific interests of the family of six living here.

At the heart of the apartment’s design concept is the homeowners’ active lifestyle and technology interest and savvy. The home has become a hybrid space that is functional on every level, seamlessly meshing work, hobbies and family life. The family members’ interests, ranging from a Lego collection to board and digital games, are given expression through custom design features and the necessary display spaces. Hobby paraphernalia has been given equal billing to artworks – the items are not just stored, but integrated with the interior.

This is a massive apartment, extending through two storeys and taking up 260 square metres. On the upstairs level, there is a living room with a vaulted ceiling, kitchen and a hobby and work space. The lower level was defined by the rhythm of the windows of the old factory building, which remain the axis of the final design. The lighting project for the interior stemmed from a desire to accent the vaulted ceiling architecture, keeping the ceilings visually uncluttered. Accordingly, all the custom furniture on the upstairs level has a cantilevered design, extending only to the wall’s spring line where the vault’s curve begins. The light emanating from behind the furniture creates a floating effect, balancing the detail-rich interior. The same technique is used again in the downstairs part, where light reflected from behind the panels conjures up a stylized industrial atmosphere. Veneered panels and wood softens the effect, however.

The interior architects made a special point of leaving visible the original masonry, concrete ceilings and transitions from one material to another, engaging them in a dialogue with finished veneer surfaces. In terms of technical prowess, the two-in-one solution of steam sauna and shower, combining infrared/Finnish sauna and the total separation of the vaulted ceiling from the interior walls are all worth mentioning. To achieve the latter airgap, the ventilation units were placed in a separate utility closet on the lower level, which is visually connected to the wardrobe.

The final result: an interior where the character, technological inventiveness and the personal interests of the residents form a harmonious whole. It’s a domestic identity that springs from the building as well as from the everyday lives of the people who reside there and make the space uniquely its own.