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While exclusivity comes at a price, you can still create a “penthouse” look and feel in your existing apartment or even the upstairs bedroom of a double storey house with some clever design changes and styling touches.
Mike Greeff, CEO of Greeff Christie’s International Real Estate suggests these top tips:
- The penthouse look requires a modern minimalist approach so begin with a ruthless decluttering exercise.
- A great penthouse-style look is “inner city industrial”. Embrace raw brick walls, glossed concrete or Crete stone floors, exposed metal piping and striking pendant lighting.
- Nothing says penthouse more than floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding doors. If you have small windows, consider replacing these with sliding doors.
- Wardrobes need sliding doors to save space and floor to ceiling mirrored surfaces will create the illusion of space and increase light through reflection.
- Maximise on light with white or pale neutral walls and floors.
- Penthouses traditionally use a monochrome colour palette so avoid too many different colours and instead choose two such as black and white for soft furnishings.
- Consider a bed with drawers for hideaway storage and avoid frilly linen and anything fluffy and cute. White, black or bright plain, (not patterned) fabrics work beautifully against raw, textured surfaces such as brick or concrete.
- One or two statement pieces are all that’s required in terms of additional furniture. These should be bold and simple in shape – remember less really is more when you’re going for a penthouse look.
Using these simple steps, you can give your home a penthouse make-over and enjoy the resulting sense of space and style.
