The elegant and functional design of a 38 square meter apartment, signed by designer Andreea Stefan, shows us that the spaces that need the most expertise and advice from a designer are perhaps even small apartments, where every millimeter counts enormously.
From the designer's perspective, a real challenge is finding optimal solutions for small spaces, which can guarantee a functional, aesthetic and comfortable result and in which clients feel "at home".
“Living in a small space, no matter how common it may be in increasingly crowded cities, continues to come with many challenges when it comes to design. Because our needs are the same, whether we live in a 35 sqm studio or a very spacious apartment.
We need storage spaces, a place to eat at which we can also work occasionally, a living area where we can relax in the evening and the list can go on.”
The small-sized apartment is located in a new residential complex in the Nerva Traian area, Bucharest. The entrance is directly into the open space type area, consisting of a minimal kitchen, living room and furniture for an entrance hall.
Light reflecting colors contrasted by strong color spots and the textures used add personality to the home, avoiding the monotony of a general white. “The different textures of materials and their colors, namely glass, metal, wood, paint, combined with velvety and pleasant-to-touch fabrics, all keep our interest, capture our gaze and attention.”
One of the tricks successfully applied in this design is related to the use of the entire height of the walls. This way, we get more storage space along with an optical illusion of a more generous space.
The suspended kitchen cabinets, the mask for the thermal power plant, the wardrobe at the entrance, all were designed and executed with care, taking advantage of the entire available height. In the project, tall and narrow radiators were chosen, which creates more space for furniture.
The entrance area has a spacious dressing room consisting of a coat rack, bench and shoe cabinet. Here and on the wall behind the sofa, the same wallpaper model was mounted; considering the limited space, this choice ensures the necessary visual coherence for small homes. The colors in the wallpaper are also found in the kitchen chairs, in harmony with the entire design.
The extendable sofa, made of royal blue velvet, represents the splash of color in the living area. The industrial accent created by the glass panel with a black metal frame contributes to shaping the personality of the space. At the same time, the panel, executed by Slender Tree, protects the sofa from the cooking area.
