-
227 Flat by Ooda : Although a gargantuan 150sqm compared to the other houses, we just can’t get over the clever way the staircase space is put to use for a suspended net hammock. -
227 Flat by Ooda : That, and the incredible cabinetwork of these Portuguese architects that makes storage space disappear. www.ooda.eu -
Smart Student Unit by Tengbom Architects : Multi-tasking is the key: shutters fold down into desks and stairs double up as bookshelves. www.tengbom.se -
Smart Student Unit by Tengbom Architects : This 10sqm house has a kitchenette, bathroom and loft bedroom. Made entirely from cross-laminated wood, it is super eco and 50% cheaper than traditional student accommodation. -
Urban Shelter by MYCC : It's “like old computer platform games” and provides both living and office space. PHOTO Elena Almagro. www.mycc.es -
Urban Shelter by MYCC : Although this slender space only has a 20sqm footprint, the Brazillian architects capitalised on its huge height by connecting various living platforms with ladders and stairs. PHOTO Elena Almagro -
Window House by Yasutaka Yoshimura : The Japanese architect designed this weekend home for a single person, sandwiched between two multi-floor windows on a 3x8m site. -
Window House by Yasutaka Yoshimura : The large windows prevent the view from being obscured when the owner is not home! www.ysmr.com -
Keret House by Jakub Szczesny : “The world’s skinniest house” is only 1.22m wide! Conceptualised and proposed by the Polish architect, it took three years to realise. PHOTO Polish Modern Art Foundation / Bartek Warzecha -
Keret House by Jakub Szczesny : The semi-transparent cladding of the windowless home provides natural light to temper the claustrophobia. PHOTO Polish Modern Art Foundation / Bartek Warzecha. http://kerethouse.com/
WORDS Debbie Loots
No matter how small your home, there are smaller – like the spots we feature in the gallery above, which also prove that small does not need to be unstylish. We’ve put together 10 tips on how to make your small space work. Don’t forget that we’re giving away two Fold A Beds.
Actually there are more than a few reasons to love living in a small space – less space to clean, less space to heat, for instance – but not keeping it looking trim and tidy can bring on the blues, even when it’s not raining. Especially if collecting lots of cool stuff is your thing, or you don’t have enough cupboard-space to hide away brooms and other unsightly household stuff. So, we’ve put together these fab tips to help you think creatively about bookshelves, show you where to put all your favourite things, and we’ve even found some great ideas for managing your wardrobe. Most importantly, be grateful for what you have – as you can see from the gallery above, there’s so many that do with so much less. So, read on and let our top 10 tips help you live happily ever after in your small space, and leave the blues to your iTunes.
- Take down your wardrobe doors and ask the landlord to store them. Heavy doors that swing open take up precious space that can be used for other things. Instead, top to toe curtaining can hide clothes.
- Keep your wardrobe trim and tidy by using one kind of hanger, multipronged if needed. Although we love wooden hangers, they are bulky.
- Buy multi-functional furniture. Like a bed with drawers or a bed on long legs with space enough underneath to store winter or summer clothes or anything else.
- Hooks, hooks, hooks… put marvelous hooks up everywhere. That way things are kept off the floor and out of the way, faking instant tidiness.
- Hang a mirror close to a window to allow natural light to bounce around off the walls and create the illusion of much more space.
- Shelve books all along racks on the top of walls and doorways. This clears floor space for other things.
- If you can bear it, swop the books you’ve already read with friends, or better, get a Kindle and use the bookshelves instead for your über-cool, dread-to-ditch-it collections.
- Speaking of…. Lover of all sorts of collections and keeper of cool stuff? Rather than clutter up your small space, rotate your horded beloveds by storing some for now.
- Don’t be afraid to be bold with spots of favourite colour. They say go neutral or go home in a small space but we say, don’t be grey, bright accents here and there show some personality.
- For the kitchen. Save up and buy fancy, gorgeous stuff, things that don’t look drab when left on the stove, stand next to the basin or hang from a hook in the corner.
With concealed wall-beds now available in South Africa, saving space needn’t mean compromising on style and we’ve got one double Fold A Bed worth R7 500 and one single Fold A Bed worth R4 500 to give away!
