Like many other Romanians, you've made superhuman efforts and managed to buy a small two-room apartment or studio in an older building. Or maybe you just moved into your parents' home and want to modernize it and change its old-fashioned look to a modern one.
No matter what your reasons are, the important thing is that you want more space, even if, on paper, the apartment only has 45-50 square meters.
In addition to solutions that give more of an "illusion" of generous space - white painted walls, large mirrors on the walls, good organization of furniture and household items -, there are also some concrete solutions that actually offer you more space, are modern and allow you to enjoy your home to the fullest. Here are three of them:
1. Get rid of the pantry
The pantry is certainly one of the indispensable spaces in old apartments and studios. It's the good-for-everything place where our parents and grandparents still store empty bottles, toolboxes, drills, fishing clothes. Pots, pans, jars of preserves are not missing either, and in some extreme cases, even the barrel of pickles and the demijohn of wine.
However, nowadays the pantry has lost its role. If you have purchased an older apartment with a pantry, you can get rid of it without remorse, especially if you live a busy life and are always on the go.
You can eat out in the city and supermarkets are everywhere, so you no longer need space to store sacks of potatoes or onions and dozens of jars of compotes or zacuscă.
The space obtained after dismantling the shelves and door can be used for other, more modern purposes. You can put an armchair and a lamp here, set up your work desk, or simply turn the space into a dressing room that will free up your home from clothes closets.
If you organize it rigorously with shelves and drawers, you'll have enough space for all your clothes.
2. Enclose the balcony
In a newly built residential complex, enclosing the balcony can be a mission impossible: you need approvals from the homeowner's association, the building contractor, and the architect. In an older building, things are simpler, especially if you have neighbors who have already enclosed their balconies, so the precedent is already set.
However, you will still need to contact an architect to obtain a quality project.
