Graphic courtesy of Der Standard
Many apartments are studios and therefore small – How living in 35 square meters works
In small apartments, everything should have a fixed place, and color accents are very much allowed – even if many are concerned about them.
At first glance, everything here looks like in a normal, small apartment: eat-in kitchen with sofa, bathroom with toilet, there’s even a balcony. But after a short time you ask yourself: Where is the bedroom? In fact, there are even two of them in this 35-square-metre apartment, they are both hidden in the built-in closet.
The apartment in the Italian town of Deiva Marina near the Cinque Terre was designed by the Llabb architecture firm from Genoa. In the center of the built-in closet, two doors open into the larger of the two bedrooms; to the left, three small steps lead to another door and up to a platform, which in turn houses a double bed. So the two bedrooms are one above the other, making ideal use of the space up to the ceiling – a bunk bed, but separated from each other in two separate rooms.
Here is the Youtube link for the video.
Creativity like this is not unique to Liguria; all over the world, professional and amateur planners are getting inventive when it comes to making the most of little space. While some enjoy designing and can even afford interior designers, others have no choice. Rising housing costs mean that living space must become smaller and smaller because it is simply not affordable for many otherwise.
Regardless of the budget, there are many tips and tricks for little space to make the room look bigger. The architect Ania Korotarz from the Color Coordinated office knows what they are.
She advises to think about the three most important needs in advance: “It’s best to write down for seven days what you needed from the apartment today.” You should then focus on that when furnishing.
Sufficient storage space
Interior designer Wolfgang Stempfer from “Der gute Plan”, who has already lived in an apartment of 29 square metres, knows that storage space is essential, especially when space is limited. Even if the space is limited, a vacuum cleaner and a washing machine have to be stored somewhere.
Putting two rooms in a small space of 35 square metre is a challenge, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a folding bed. An alcove can be separated by a cupboard, for example, says Stempfer.
Korotarz also advises: “There should be a private corner of your own, where it’s not a problem if the bed isn’t made up, should visitors come.”
As a tendency, it is good to avoid bulky, free-standing furniture – apart from the dining table and chairs – as far as possible. However, there are no rules here that can be applied to all small apartments. “If you spend most of your time on the sofa, you might as well get a large one that meets that need.”
On the subject of colors, the experts agree. Whether colours are sensible or rather counterproductive. This does not necessarily depend on the size of an apartment, but on its location. “Bold color accents are allowed and convey coziness. No one feels comfortable in white boxes; they quickly convey a cold impression.”
But it’s definitely with 35 square metre, visually calmer when there are fewer things lying around and cabinets are closed. “The less I see, the bigger the room looks. Everything should therefore have a fixed place,” says Korotarz. If cost is an issue, Stempfer says curtains can also be used. The use of mirrors, on the other hand, can visually enlarge rooms.
Perfect niches
Ultimately, it all comes down to the floor plan. Ideally, the furnishings have already been considered by architects during the planning stage. “For example, by placing doors so that there are wall niches behind them that are just as deep as an average closet.”
And overall, Korotarz says, if possible, it’s better to furnish a small apartment once at the beginning with good advice from experts and not every three years with new furniture from Ikea!.
Translated from the German
Source Der Standard
Article (Bernadette Redl, 21.10.2023)
Grafik: STANDARD/Oana Rotariu