London studio Quinn Architects has designed a minimal interior for this apartment in the city's Barbican Estate, pairing white lacquered surfaces with timber skirting and oak cabinets (+ slideshow).

The firm refurbished the apartment for Quinn Architects director Laurence Quinn and his family, aiming to make it more suitable for their needs.

From a rented workshop in Camberwell, the team set about designing, prototyping and manufacturing every detail in the apartment over a nine-month period.

Treating the project as a "research exercise", the architects took the opportunity to experiment with materials, fittings and fixtures for the apartment.

"This interior project is a personal study of living on the estate and, due to the intensity of the design development and a desire to experiment, it was decided to procure the project in an unusual way," said Quinn Architects.
"Each element of the project has been designed, purchased and procured directly and built using two skilled craftsmen who have been central to the success of the work," they added. "Only the stainless steel kitchen workshop and the MDF two-pack polyurethane paint finishing were manufactured by external specialists."

The famous Barbican Estate was designed in the 1950s by British firm Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, and is one of the largest examples of the Brutalist style.

The apartment's location within the estate was used as the inspiration behind the interior desig...