Common area design — entrance area with a chandelier, marble-effect porcelain tile and a lift lobby

Common area design — a lift lobby in a light classical palette with decorative lighting

Car park — light-coloured walls with a signature pattern, wayfinding to the lift and stairs, road markings

Common area design — a light-filled common area with porcelain tile, mouldings and soft architectural lighting

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Common areas · Monochrome neoclassical

Design project for residential common areas, 585 m²

Common areas · 585 m² · Completed

01 / 04

About the project

The complex is designed in a neoclassical manner, in tune with the monumental mid-century architecture around it. The common areas develop the theme: white, greys and black form a monochrome base, and the project’s own colours bring in the contrast it needs, without excess and without blandness.

Client request

The developer YIT commissioned the design of the common areas of a residential complex (the lobby, the typical floors and the car park), 585 m² in total. The façades are neoclassical, in dialogue with the monumental buildings next door, and the common areas had to carry that image indoors while staying within the developer’s brand guidelines.

Challenge

The difficulty with common areas is to make them feel genuinely expensive to the touch and of a piece with the neoclassical façades, while staying within the brand guidelines and meeting the wear requirements of public space. The monochrome had to read as rich rather than cold, and one character had to be carried all the way down to the car park.

Concept

Monochrome neoclassicism: simplified classical elements (geometric porcelain tile, imitation panelling and coffered ceilings with concealed lighting) give the interiors substance without heaviness. Accents from the YIT brand guidelines bring the space to life while keeping it at one with the façade.

Result

The result is one neoclassical image running from the formal lobby to the underground car park: a monochrome range, porcelain tile and brass tie every level together. Even the entrances from the car park are treated as part of the formal space, and the studio’s hand is legible on every level.

Trust metrics

585 m²

Floor area

01 Zone

Entrance area

The lobby sets the tone for the whole building. The walls are divided into simplified classical panels of Calacatta porcelain tile: white marble with a graphite vein, framed by a fine profile, with the central slab reading as a formal panel. A coffered ceiling with concealed lighting around the perimeter adds depth and softly defines the space, while brass wall lights and a ring chandelier keep the monochrome warm. The patterned geometric floor continues the theme of restrained luxury, and every visit to the complex begins with it. The lobby is a bespoke piece of common-area design, in tune with the neoclassical façades.

Common area design — view of the entrance area with white porcelain tile, metal and glass details — The entrance vestibule: grey microcement and white porcelain tile, brass letterboxes and an inlaid mosaic floor.

Common area design — a side view of the lobby with marble-effect texture and decorative panels — A detail of the lobby wall: the marble panel with brass wall lights and a vertical brass screen looking on to the mosaic floor.

Common area design — a detail of the lobby with porcelain tile, brass accents and wall lighting — The symmetry of the entrance: mirrored marble walls, a gilded lift and a patterned geometric floor in a graphite frame.

02 Zone

Typical floor

The floor halls keep to the same monochrome neoclassicism as the lobby. The upper part of the walls is finished in calm grey microcement, the lower part in white marble-effect porcelain panelling with a fine moulding; a large-format floor with graphite inlays sets the rhythm of the corridor. Entrance doors in smoked oak veneer, vertical brass wall lights and brass apartment numbers make the typical floor a considered part of the interior. At the end of the corridor is a round, lit art panel: the focal point that stops the common areas being a purely technical zone.

Common area design — a corridor with white finishes and a contrasting floor pattern — A floor corridor: grey microcement above, white marble-effect porcelain tile below, graphite inlays setting the rhythm of the floor.

Common area design — a light-filled interior with marble-effect textures and architectural mouldings — An entrance door in smoked oak, with a brass apartment number and a vertical wall light.

Common area design — a passage area with porcelain tile, glass and soft ceiling lighting — At the end of the corridor, a round lit art panel serves as the focal point of the floor.

03 Zone

Car park

We paid particular attention to the entrances from the car park, since the formal lobby is not the only part that deserves it. The lift landing is marked by an accent marble inlay with the brass monogram of the complex; the ‘Lift / Stair’ wayfinding, the floor markings and the bay numbers are designed as one graphic system. The interior holds together from the front entrance down to the underground level.

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Journal

Common areas in a residential complex: how lobbies, halls and corridors are designed

Neoclassical vs modern classic style: what's the difference, and when each one fits

Kitchen-living room: a round marble table with a gilded base, two white chairs and crystal chandelier pendants in warm lighting

Stone in interior design: marble, onyx, travertine and porcelain stoneware

Master bathroom in pale stone: corner bathtub, illuminated onyx walls and pendant lights, side view with soft white light

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about the project

What does the common area design cover?

The 585 m² neoclassical project covers the entrance area, a typical floor and the car park. Neoclassicism reads at once as a mark of standing and is legible to a wide range of buyers.

Why was neoclassicism chosen for the entrance rather than a contemporary style?

Neoclassicism, with its symmetry, cornices and fine materials, gives a building an air of solidity in the first few seconds. For the entrance to a residential complex that works better than neutral minimalism when the developer wants to underline the standing of the project.

How does the design of the entrance affect apartment sales?

A buyer forms a view of a building in the first seconds in the lobby, and that impression decides whether they will trust the quality of the rest of it. An entrance handled in one consistent manner removes some of the doubt before the apartment itself is shown.

How does the neoclassical treatment of the common areas sit with the car park in a 585 m² project?

The car park is designed on the same logic of material and light as the entrance, but without surplus decoration: where practicality is what matters, the ornament goes. Unity comes from the colour range and the quality of the finish, not from repeating mouldings.

How long does a 585 m² common area project take when site visits are involved?

We work with clients in person or remotely, depending on the project, and visit the site as needed. The exact programme is agreed after the brief, given the floor area and the number of storeys. Design supervision is available on request, so that the build does not drift away from the project.

Does common area design for a developer call for regional specifics?

We take account of local acceptance requirements and of how the building will be run, but the principles of choosing materials for heavy use and of holding one style from floor to floor are universal. We work with clients in person or remotely, depending on the project.