Istanbul Family Apartment
A family apartment in the heart of Istanbul, renovated for two parents and two children. The brief joined two things that rarely sit together in a city flat: the most use out of every metre, and a French classic look meant to last. Tohfa designed the renovation, and the family’s own team built it from our drawings. It was completed in 2026.
The people
Two parents and two children in a central Istanbul apartment, where space is limited and the city is right outside the window. They wanted a home that felt classic and settled, and rooms that work hard for a family of four.
What mattered
- Every metre of the apartment put to use.
- A French classic look that will not date.
- Rich, lasting materials throughout.
- A children's room that sleeps two and still leaves room to study.
The design response
The living and dining room sets the tone: classical wall panelling with carved corner details, a coffered ceiling, two crystal chandeliers and a deep walnut arch filled with shelving. Glass-fronted cabinets beside a lit arched recess hold the glassware, so the same room works for family evenings and for guests. Leather Chesterfield sofas, oak floors and a patterned rug keep it warm rather than formal.
The children’s room is where space mattered most. A raised bed sits above a second bed, reached by steps that are drawers, and the upper bed is enclosed by a brass rail threaded with wooden beads, like an abacus. Drawers run under the lower bed, shelving rises beside it and a long desk for two runs along the window. Opposite, full-height wardrobes in cream with charcoal frames hide everything else. The drawings and specifications were complete enough for the family’s own team to build the apartment as designed.
Details worth noticing
An abacus for a railing
The upper bed is enclosed by brass rods threaded with wooden beads: a safety rail the children can play with, and the detail they will remember.
Steps that store
Each step up to the raised bed is a drawer, and more drawers run under the lower bed. In a city apartment the climb doubles as a chest of drawers.
Arches for the glassware
Glass-fronted cabinets either side of a lit walnut arch, set into the panelled wall, keep glassware and serving pieces close to the dining table.
A city apartment that holds a family of four with room to spare, in a French classic language meant to stay right for years. Built by the family's own team from Tohfa's design, it was completed in 2026.