Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 17. (Budapest, 1998)

Éva HORÁNYI: A Villa in Berkenye Street. A Contribution to the Activity of Lajos Kozma in the Villa Architecture of the 1930's in Buda

rolled in and out by pressing a single button. This door as well as all the other sliding doors and windows of the villa were the creations of the well-known expert. János Halaman. The bedroom which is perpendicular to the living room was also furnished with fitted furniture. Traditional beds were replaced by fold-out sofas which were combined with low cupboard elements. This spacious, tranquil bedroom-corner was enlivened by a bookshelf that ran all the way round the wall and by a small, light round table with its armchairs. To counterbalance the plain white of the walls, the floor was covered with carpets of varied colours and sizes. In formulating the interior. Kozmas's prime aim was to emphasise the dynamic character of the spatial form. This was created by the unique pieces of furniture that were placed freely and haphazardly among static inbuilt elements, as well as by vivid, hand-woven textiles and fresh green plants. From the bedroom a little passageway provided access to the garde robe, the nursery and the bathroom. Both the long walls of the 11m

2 garderobe were occupied by fitted cupboards. This was more than necessary as there were very few other means of storage among the furnishings of the living spaces. The furniture for the eastfacing, attractive and large nursery (24nr) were brought along from the client's previous home. The bathroom of the ground floor was tiled in the black-and-white combination which was fashionable at the time. The walls of the first floor bathroom were covered in white tiles. Large black opaque tiles covering the bath made the room look extremely elegant. The floor was covered in red rubber and the little alcove above the sink a bright yellow.

16 The colour combination of yellow, black and white returns in the kitchen furniture. Low kitchen cupboards combined with a working top and the built-in sink are also a combination of these colours. The doors on a row of fitted cupboards covering the shorter wall are light grey as are those of the ingenious and practical mini pantry. The lino covering the floor is also light grey. The equipment is complemented with clever little yellow and black seats. A small serving room, whose main role was to isolate the smells of the kitchen, opened from here, as did the pantry and a cupboard-sized servant's room. Bright colours also dominated the hall which was in the centre of the apartment, in organic contact with all other spaces. The white floor cover off the black bench which stood on a footing of red vitrified brick as well as the small pieces of green furniture. The curtain which separated the hall from the little passage came from the workshop of the famous textile artist, designer and weaver. Éva Szabó. Kozma always laid a great stress on colours as the main source of spatial ambience. "A white wall is the immaterial background to a colourful flat". It was this guiding principle that led him in formulating the colour combinations of his interiors, using brighter colours in well-lit and significant spaces and more modest ones on secondary forms. White also dominated the exterior appearance of his houses but he often tried to break this up with natural-looking, fresh colours. The ashlaring of the plinth of the Berkenye Street Villa as well as the flint bluey green colouring of the rails, bars and shutters were aiming to serve this natural look. After a description of the building which was based on the information provided mainly by the already mentioned contemporary publications and plans, it might be worth while to look into the later history of the building and provide a brief survey of the course of transformations it underwent as well as of those elements of the interiors which were fortunate enough to survive.