Frankie Pappas converted a 1950’s police barracks to a beautiful home
Architecture studio from Johannesburg, South Africa Frankie Pappas have converted and old 1950’s police barracks to a spacious home. As the architects say, the main concept “was to build a very thick wall that would separate the apartment’s public spaces from its private spaces,
this wall would hold storage and services that would serve its adjacent spaces.”
The team organized the building with eating, living and working spaces facing out onto the courtyard. The bedrooms, bathrooms and service spaces sit behind the yellow service wall. This strategy allows for very efficient movement through the apartment with very little wasted space.
The team used a very simple palette of materials that work together to make an unfussy living environment. They plastered the walls and painted them white, the floors are the original hardwood parquets, while the furniture is manufactured from recycled plywood. This choice in materials results in an easy-to-maintain apartment, where plants and art and working and living and reading can take center stage.
Photo credits: Dave Southwood and Frankie Pappas