TINI TINY APARTMENT
RESIDENTIAL PROJECT - SPEED TEST FOR INTERIOR DESIGN APPLICATION
PRELUDE
As we are moving forward to a newer phase of humanity, we soon realize about how the world began to be over-populated. We are now facing an inevitable crisis of suitable living place for our primary needs, to have a place where we can stay and feel comfortable. Some are forced to live in a very little place where they didn't even know how to organize their belongings, and later on creating another spatial crisis. As a person who live in the middle of urbanization and human civilization, the issue is indeed a complicated matter which triggering awareness of space efficiency, where we can adapt even in a very limited space, like a TINI TINY APARTMENT.
This design is basically a test proposal for my career as a junior interior designer. My task was to create and arrange the space given by the examiner, to optimize a small space, into a suitable private living residence. A small studio apartment consisted with Kitchen/Pantry, Living room, Dining Room, Bedroom, Bathroom, and working area. Those are basically the standard of a private residence requirements. The participants are required to create a contemporary modern design style apartment, with the required rooms, for the whole 24 hours.
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
Japanese-contemporary modern style has always been a particular benchmark for spatial efficiency management studies, as they have been the pioneer of utilizing limited spaces. They have been living as a very large community, in such a small place. And not to mention their dedication of details is undoubtedly the best in the world.
MINIMALISM - EFFICIENT - PRIVATE
In such a limited space, the apartment is designed to have more fixed and built-in furniture rather than the loose ones, to avoid risks of unorganized apartment, and for the loose furniture which was included in the design are mostly moveable and not taking that much of a space. A precise and calculated measure for designing interior elements for such a tiny space is one determining factor for a comfortable living place, as EVERY inch and millimeter MATTERS. In such a small space, privacy has always been a complicated issue, even though the occupant are a single user for the space that we are designing, and it is indeed a challenging requirement which has to be dealt with everything we could.
Then there's a question, "We might not be able to widen the space and move the walls as we like it. But could we adjust the furniture so that they will actually provide both privacy and space efficiency at the same time?" and the answer is.... DEFINITELY!!! And it showing it would be easier than explaining it.
Providing occupants with negative free space is important, to let them utilize the space to store some items which cannot be fit in a cabinet or a drawer due to it's size or characteristics. For example, placing shoes storage below the kitchen countertop cabinets.
Some people might leave the cabinet below the sink untouched, for a wider storage or the fact that the pipes below it might have took a lot of space already. However, considering that we need to utilize as much space as possible into our maximum advantage, the cabinet is designed by responding the pipes below the sink.
Guess where the fridge is.....
Why Bean Bag?
It is a removable yet a little bit heavy furniture which has been proven one of the most favorable furniture items that everyone would love to have in their own houses (everyone except the elders). It is considered to be more convenience for the occupants, if they want to have a prayer (sholat) or perhaps having a sleep over, they can just move the bean bag and the side table.
Where's the dining room?
Some statistics stated that some people are no longer enjoying their meal in the dining room, they prefer to enjoy watching TV while having breakfast. lunch, or dinner. Some of them prefer working while eating as well. Besides, providing a specific space for dining room in such a limited space might take more unnecessary spaces that can be used for other things as well. Which is why the side table is placed, to facilitate occupants if they want to put their food on the table.
This is how each furniture compliment each others needs. Due to it's suitable length, the office desk is placed to cover the bedroom area. The real room layout specified that the desk was placed between the windows, and letting the bedroom being exposed. Rather than putting an unnecessary room partition which only used for a room dividing only, another solution seems better than the original one, and that is making the office desk as the room partition instead.
First of all, the working desk position was facing a neutral position (the occupant can see different directions from one particular area, which has a lot of risk for more distractions, especially when the other side has a television on the wall. And secondly, the least thing occupants wished to happen is when their guests can see an exposed private bedroom.
It is a perfect solution to move the table and covering the sleeping area, to both obstructing a vivid view from the entrance hall to the sleeping area, and making sure that the productive area has the least distraction than the other part of the apartment.
Module repetition is also one of the most iconic way of how Japanese designs are being presented. Vertical line is one visual component highlighted for the entire space appearance.
Walk in closet is one of the required spaces, and it was originally placed in the same place like the current design. There is no general lighting for the sleeping area, to make sure that the occupant will have the best sleep quality. Some people might hate a total dark, however, with the artificial lightings from the other room, they can keep it on without causing a total dark ambience.
Considering a very limited space for the walk in closet to be stuffed right behind the bed head, and to make this part feels more spacious, the clothes storage is made very openly, with the help of laundry baskets to store the folded clothes so that the entire storage doesn't look messy.
