{"id":10673,"date":"2025-11-26T05:00:21","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T06:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/?p=10673"},"modified":"2025-11-28T12:28:42","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T12:28:42","slug":"juli-bolanos-durmans-edinburgh-home-celebrates-the-beauty-in-imperfection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/2025\/11\/26\/juli-bolanos-durmans-edinburgh-home-celebrates-the-beauty-in-imperfection\/","title":{"rendered":"Juli Bola\u00f1os-Durman’s Edinburgh home “celebrates the beauty in imperfection”"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/div>\n

Salvaged and upcycled<\/a> materials add character to Costa Rican artist Juli Bola\u00f1os-Durman’s renovated Edinburgh<\/a> flat, which she designed in collaboration with Architecture Office.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bola\u00f1os-Durman<\/a>, who is known for her work in glass and her use of waste materials, prioritised sustainability and comfort when devising a brief for La Casita, which she says translates as “the wee house”.<\/p>\n

\"Juli
Juli Bola\u00f1os-Durman’s Edinburgh flat “celebrates the beauty in imperfection”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The artist partnered with Alexander Mackison of local studio Architecture Office<\/a> to design the interior of the compact flat, which was long-listed for Dezeen Awards 2025<\/a> in the sustainable interior category.<\/p>\n

She told Dezeen that the project provided an opportunity to work closely with local fabricators who helped transform reused, reclaimed and offcut materials into bespoke architectural elements.<\/p>\n

\"Alexander
She partnered with Alexander Mackison of local studio Architecture Office<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Our main objective at the start of the project was to create a cosy home that also reflects my personal ethos of celebrating the beauty in imperfection,” explained Bola\u00f1os-Durman.<\/p>\n

“While I typically work with found glass, designing this flat allowed me to apply a similar approach on a larger scale using a broader range of materials.”<\/p>\n

\"Victorian
The apartment is located on the first floor of a Victorian tenement in the Leith neighbourhood<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Located on the first floor of a Victorian tenement in the Leith neighbourhood, the flat had not been renovated in decades and was stripped back to the bare walls before being comprehensively restored.<\/p>\n

Mackison helped devise a series of architectural interventions that make the most of the available space and transform overlooked or imperfect materials into carefully crafted objects.<\/p>\n

\"Muted
Muted tones feature throughout<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The fabric and furniture that form the project are a direct response to the materials at hand, shaped through close collaboration with fabricators and suppliers in a material-first approach,” he said.<\/p>\n

Mackison designed a bespoke kitchen that was crafted by woodworking specialists Silvan Studio<\/a> using surplus materials from previous projects.<\/p>\n

\"Bathroom
Colourful accents create “a bit of Latin-infused sass”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A combination of oak, cherry, Douglas fir and ash wood was used for the cupboard doors to highlight the tonal and textural variation between the different species.<\/p>\n

The internal carcasses are made from a dyed fibreboard material called Valchromat that was left over from one of Silvan’s commercial projects.<\/p>\n

The colourful interiors contrast with the kitchen’s natural wood fronts, providing a fun detail that Bola\u00f1os-Durman described as “a bit of Latin-infused sass.”<\/p>\n

\"Pinewood
Existing pinewood floors were lightly sanded<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Throughout the home, existing pine floorboards that had been hidden beneath carpeting were lightly sanded to retain their uneven texture and provide a counterpoint to the oversized, gloss-painted skirting boards.<\/p>\n

The rooms are mostly painted in muted tones that provide a neutral background for Bola\u00f1os-Durman’s collection of colourful artworks, including many of her own creations.<\/p>\n

\"Monolithic
The discovery of an old fireplace in the living room informed the creation of a monolithic mantel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The rooms were decorated using Little Greene<\/a>‘s Re:mix paint collection, which reformulates leftover, unwanted paints into an upcycled product with a matte finish.<\/p>\n

A vibrant yellow hue chosen for the hallway provides a bold contrast and a warm welcome to the flat, while also evoking the Cortez Amarillo tree that flowers in the artist’s hometown.<\/p>\n