孟买950平小户型公寓空间最大化设计丨印度丨StudioADAPL

Mumbai: A home that demonstrates how to maximize space in a small apartment

StudioADAPL has eked out a three-bedroom apartment, replete with the colour and pattern, in all of 950 sq ft.

“Since [the family] were repeat clients, they didn’t give any specific brief; they knew I was aware of their preference for bright

colours

, patterns and textures. They are also open to radical ideas. In their earlier home, the headboard of their bed was a fish tank!” says Ajjay Ssharma of studioADAPL who was tasked with designing a 950-square-foot, three-bedroom apartment in

Juhu

, Mumbai.

The foyer features built-in seating with storage below.

The architect's main challenge was limited square footage. “Most builders provide large L-shaped living rooms, to give the impression of an expansive space when one enters the apartment,” says Ssharma. He set about creating pockets in the living room and defining spaces to create three different zones. “During the lockdown, office staff would visit. It made sense to have seating for them at the entrance, in an alcove which is secluded from the rest of the living room. This foyer-like arrangement offers privacy to the more private areas of the home that lie further inside. To define the living area, its height has been raised by six inches, while the dining space is tucked away behind the seating at the entrance.

A set of family photographs behind the high back chair in the living room is a daily reminder of happy memories.

The seating at the dining table consists of a swing on one side, with a bench against the wall on the other. “The swing is meant to provide a restaurant-like feel to the space,” says Ssharma. The area can be used as informal seating by moving the log top table. The star-shaped fairy lights above add a celebratory feel to the space.

The main bedroom is a mere 12 feet x 15 feet. “I’ve provided an open wardrobe to deal with the lack of space,” says Ssharma. The flora-fauna themed headboard provides a punch of pattern and colour. Unusually, there is no attached bath in this bedroom. Since the family plans to move to a larger place in a few years, this is not going to be a permanent arrangement. “The parents are comfortable using the bath across the corridor. In the traditional culture they come from, when a son becomes of marriageable age, it is customary to give him preference for the bedroom with an ensuite bath.”

An open closet was carved out in main bedroom by using an aluminium framed glass partition. The bed was placed on a raised platform to create extra storage space that was required in the room.

In Ssharma’s design, barely a surface has remained untouched by either colour, pattern, or both. Walls, sheets, rugs, headboards, upholstery and cushions, all contribute to the visual medley with impunity. The colours include pastels as well as vivid punches, while florals jostle with abstracts in the patterns. “The personalities of the owners are quite flamboyant, so despite pulling in the reins, I’ve tried to provide a space in which they would feel comfortable and at home on a daily basis. However, if they decide to move to a neutral palette in future, everyone understands it will be as easy as changing the surface treatments of walls and upholstery,” says Ssharma. Clearly, these are not choices one is married to for a lifetime. The users can overhaul their houses with a minimum dent in their pockets after some time, to experience it all anew. “However I do believe that a space should be an extension of the personality, philosophy and standards of the users.”