Anthony apartment, Beirut
Anthony apartment, Beirut

The light that floods into the apartment on the 20th floor of Les Domes de Sursock in Beirut is so strong that it has to be attenuated. But it marks a symbolic redemption, after the serious damages to the building provoked by the shock wave of the explosion at the city’s port on 4 August 2020, which reminded the city of the horrors of the civil war.  The reconstruction of the residence has been carried out by the Lebanese architect Karim Nader, known for his commitment to the salvaging of the architectural heritage of Beirut.

“I refuse to be labeled as an architect of the war generation,” Nader says. “I don’t think the aesthetic of construction devastated by horrible actions is interesting. What matters to me is to represent Beirut in terms of the vitality it has always had, a city that looks forward to the future.” Keeping faith with his design credo, for the ‘Anthony’ apartment Nader has explored the potential of the site facing the port, with spectacular views, through a new spatial expression that extends the narrative of the place itself. A ‘second chapter’ that takes roots and history into account.

Here the act of regeneration coincides with architectural references taken from Gerrit Rietveld, Le Corbusier and Eileen Gray, taken towards modernity with pure lines, the use of primary colors on neutral backgrounds. The floor and walls in gray concrete are ‘softened’ by the ceiling totally clad in natural wood, with luminous accents floating at strategic points, inspired by the mobiles of Alexander Calder.

The long entrance corridor has a role of transition towards the various areas of the house, first of all the spacious living room flooded with natural light thanks to full-height windows screened by curtains. The precious furnishings are distributed with elegance, alternating with vital empty spaces between them. The furniture designed by Karim Nader, like the bookcase, the table, the console and several lamps, are inserted with reverence amidst items that have written design history.

They establish a dialogue at the center of the space with the Extrasoft sofa by Living Divani, coffee tables by Mogg, as well as pieces such as the Barcelona daybed by Mies van der Rohe, the LC4 lounge chair by Le Corbusier and the Bertoia chair by Harry Bertoia, surrounded by sculptures and paintings.

The area set aside for guests contains a bedroom, featuring a bed designed by Nader with clear references to the universe of Mondrian, as well as spaces for yoga and a home office. “From the ruins of the past, we find energy to go back to work, even when things have been broken, lost or damaged,” the architect emphasizes. “Every project is a way of starting over. An attitude of joyful resumption of ‘doing,’ no matter what happens.”

Photo © Marwan Harmouche