This studio flat of 24m2 is located in Padua, in the historical Ghetto, in a dense urban tissue, on the top floor of an old building. It is a perfect exercise to study every piece of the space there is in the house.
There were many challenges in this project. Additionally to the limited floor space there was only one window, and it was positioned so high, that it was without the possibility to look outside. The ceiling is not straight, but it is sloping down. The roof is inclined. It starts at 3.20m and goes down to less then 1m.
When I was working in Paris for 4 years I lived in a small apartment of 17m2. I learned to understand how important it is to use the space in a careful way and to have only the things that really matter. Another thing is that in a small space it is important to have the opportunity to travel with the eyes outside.
My idea was to create maximum possible number of solutions. I designed it in a way that you don’t see everything immediately. You keep exploring it, its possible arrangements, its furniture and its many hidden storage possibilities.
The first thing I decided to do was to divide the flat into the zones of: entrance, kitchen, dining, living, sleeping and changing.
In the dinning zone I made a new floor, 70cm higher, to make it possible to look out of the window, which has the panoramic view over the city and over the dome of the cathedral. I enclosed the zone by bookshelves that you can also sit on. The stairs to the new floor I used as storage compartments.
The space that is under the new floor I use to hide the sliding box, that slides out to the main living and sleeping zone. The box has different functions depending how much you PULL IT OUT. If you pull it out by 1m it is a sofa. And if you pull it out fully it is a comfortable double bed. The whole perimeter of the living and sleeping zone I built up with cabinets and wardrobes. In the middle I left the void.
The wall with the kitchen cabinets is built up until the ceiling. To easily access the top shelves I designed a built-in foldable stool. Another similar one I also put in the bathroom, under the sink, to easily open the window and enjoy the panorama. The door to the bathroom is installed on a pivot frame, which can open onto both sides. One side has a full size mirror.
To additionally underline the different zones of this small space I created different kinds of lights. The dining zone is the brightest one. It has a natural light from the window. The living and sleeping zone is more private. It has a soft artificial light in the centre. Next to the bed, in the corner, I put a neon panel to make a different atmosphere in the evening. The deep wardrobes at the end of the room have small lights installed inside.
The material I used on the floor is grey concrete with matt. The furniture is made of timber painted in white of the same tone as the rest of the flat, not make the space any smaller.
The design and the furniture give many possibilities of use and of arrangement. Some things are HIDDEN, some has DOUBLE FUNCTION. It gives the opportunity to discover and explore. At the same time the design is not the most important, it is a background to the everyday activities of the owner. In the end it makes the client live there comfortably and allows to make it a very personal space.
