THE TRANSFORMATION of an apartment at The Cedars in Herbert Park Lane from a two-bed to a Manhattan-style loft was overseen by architect Damien Murtagh (01-644 0600).

Intrinsic to the look is a timber wall in European masur birch which was made and assembled by FitzGeralds of Kells. This costs around €650 a sq m. Masur birch has dark markings left by larvae beetle.

As part of the renovation, one bedroom was taken out to make way for an extra bathroom and an open-plan living space.

The timber panel wall is designed to make up for the loss of storage which that second bedroom would have provided - it conceals a sound system, drinks cabinet, bookshelf and even a water tank. The wall also has a hidden bathroom door and a sliding partition wall.