NEVER TOO SMALL: Large Living Room To Tiny Apartment, UK 34sqm/365sqft

This house was originally built by my great grandfather, and it's been in my family for four generations Before it was subdivided into four separate flats. So my philosophy was centered on eliminating dead space, in particular avoiding the creation of corridors. This particular project was built in the area that the living room used to be in the old house. This apartment is in West Sussex. It's a county in the southeast of England. It's made up of lots of towns and villages. When working with particularly small footprints there's always going to be spacial trade-offs. Having said this, it's really important we understand the balance between functionality and luxury This apartment is rented by a young consultant and her partner. They both work in the local area. it was important that the apartment provided full functionality, which included a separate office area. and even offer a second bedroom for guests to stay the night. It was designed to be spacious while still offering a sense of privacy, which was an interesting balancing act within such a small footprint. The apartment was originally a dated living room that was part of the main house And there was one big open space with no partitions. A fireplace in the middle of the room, and a bay window leading to the garden. partitions were constructed to create the bathroom, kitchen, living room and master sleeping area. And finally a glass partition was used as soft separation for the office and secondary bedroom. The living area is directly next to the large bay windows that look out onto the garden. These large windows help flood the area with plenty of natural light. The living area originally had carpet, which was replaced with timber floors. This helped add a feeling of warmth within the apartment. It was important that this area was open-plan allowing for space to relax by the sofa and coffee table, while still maintaining sizable circulation space around the furniture. The kitchen is positioned in front of the existing fireplace opposite to the entrance. It's minimalist design was selected so the kitchen wasn't overbearing within the living space. It features an undercounter fridge freezer a two burner induction hob with an integrated extraction unit, and a combined microwave oven to help maximize worktop space. The Splashback is made up of large format porcelain tiles. The veins across these tiles flow naturally, giving the feeling of one continuous piece of stone, which really helps instill a feeling of quality The breakfast bar, positioned by a small window, offers a spacious feeling and calming views while eating or working. On the adjacent wall, we utilized the space under the bed from the neighboring room to create additional storage for the kitchen. We decided to disguise this opening with wall paneling that mimicked the design of the kitchen cabinetry. To address the lack of windows in the office area. We decided to use a glass partition to allow natural light into the space, whilst also creating an acoustic barrier when working from home. A two meter wide desk incorporates a socket in the bookshelf for convenient laptop charging. Integrated storage units were designed to maximize the large recesses in the existing walls. There is also a fold out bed that can be used when hosting guests. The desk has been designed to stay level when lowering the bed. This saves time clearing up A concealed door fitted within the cladded wall in the back of the office leads to the communal laundry. It can also be used as secondary access to the apartment. It was my father's interest in sailing that influenced me to study the way in which yachts utilize a small footprint. Typically in boats, the bed takes up the full width of the master bedroom. We tried to copy this principle and use it in the way that we designed sleep box. Designing the master bedroom in this way allowed us to create a much larger living space comparable to typical kitchen diners in more conventional homes. The master bedroom was designed to be as compact as possible while still offering the luxury of a king sized bed. The bed is raised to allow for storage underneath. The overhanging wardrobes above the bed provide further storage and forms a niche above the headboard for charging phones and storing books. An LED recessed into the top of the niche provides warm light, perfect for reading before bed. the curtain provides privacy and room to get changed whilst drawn. But also gives the flexibility to the tenant if they don't want to feel completely withdrawn from the living space. The bathroom is compact, but feels quite spacious. A step was introduced to cater for plumbing requirements. We also decided to use a pocket door for the bathroom to minimize disturbance to the breakfast bar. The floors and walls have large gray porcelain tiles. The bathroom features a basin fixed to the floor to ceiling mirror. This really helps enhance ofthe perception of space. A flush tile transition leads into the shower, which is separated by a frameless glass divider at the end of the shower. There's also a heated towel rack. Additionally, there's a storage niche above the toilet which backs onto the feature wall, which mimics the cladding design from the office area. I think it's really important when working with small footprints, that the design is considered and really well thought out. when done right, these apartments offer the younger generation the opportunity to live in a space that's tailored towards their functional requirement in a more desirable location, for a much more affordable price. I think it's this idea that really will help tackle the affordability issues affecting London, England, and the wider world. Thanks for watching. If you’re an architect or designer with a project we could feature please share it with us at NeverTooSmall.com/submissions

Channel: NEVER TOO SMALL

Views: 359,291

Keywords: Do it yourself, Apartment, micro apartment, architecture, architect, interior, design, designer, renovation, idea, storage, kitchen, tiny, small, bedroom, bathroom, living, smart, planning, city, window, sliding door, colour, transform, mirror, studio apartment, small apartment design, interior design, home space saving ideas, small apartment tour, home decor tiny home, best interior design, decorating, UK, United Kingdom, Glass partition, curtains, subdivided, breakfast bar, minimalist, home office

Id: EC-GbPQ-7W4

Length: 7min 44sec (464 seconds)

Published: Thu May 16 2024