Optimizing existing homes is one of our passions. It brings us great joy to help families stay in their traditional living spaces while significantly improving their living conditions through targeted interventions. A particularly good example of this is Apartment O, where we once again demonstrated that generous living doesn’t require a lot of square meters.
Optimizing old apartments to be family-friendly has become a specialty of IFUB*. In the case of apartment O, a number of conversions were possible in consultation with the listed building authorities. The space-saving redesign of the kitchen, living room and bathroom made it possible to create a much-needed additional room. At the same time, storage space was optimized, enabling the family of four to enjoy an airy and bright living area of approximately 84m². From a design perspective, we went all out, collaborating with the residents to develop a vibrant color and material concept that’s truly a joy to behold!
The most significant change was the removal of the partition wall and the old unused chimney flue to create a spacious room for living, cooking and eating. Also important: a bathroom and a storage room were turned into a new bathroom and an additional shower room. Despite this, it was possible to move the wall and create more space for the new kitchen with dining table. The course of the old walls can still be seen in the flooring.
By optimizing living, cooking and eating into one room, enough space was created to separate an additional room in the area of the former kitchen. The master bedroom is now located here, as well as a small work area. A large, soundproofed window allows light to flood through the bedroom into the living room.
The living room before the renovation. Where the parents' new bedroom is now, the kitchen used to be.
The internal window is covered with a curtain in the evening. This ensures privacy.
The kitchen was moved to the other side of the building and is now positioned directly on the balcony facing the inner courtyard. The new bathroom and hallway are located behind the recessed wall made of clay building boards. To buffer moisture and odors, not only the new but also the old walls were filled with clay, and a new suspended ceiling made of clay building boards was installed.
The kitchen before the renovation. The room was much narrower and therefore only suitable as a small living room. The new spacious kitchen is now located here.
The kitchen furniture consists of the old, white base units from the previous kitchen, which have been embedded in a light blue wall unit with new, colorful yellow wall units. This has not only created space for all kitchen utensils and a tall fridge, but also additional storage space.
The refrigerator handle was designed as a splash of color and eye-catcher, transforming the kitchen into a three-dimensional graphic.
On the floor made of old and new oiled oak parquet, the positions of the old walls were left visible or only filled with new parquet in order to preserve as much of the original parquet as possible.
The hallway was fitted with a large built-in unit that solves almost all of the family's storage space problems.
The hallway furniture was designed to match the color of the kitchen furniture and the bathrooms and surprises with open, colored indentations at the passageways to the bathroom and front door.
The coat rack was also integrated into the hallway furniture next to the entrance door.
The bathroom is now accessed from the kitchen. It is positioned in the same place as the old bathroom, but has been significantly optimized in terms of space. Every square centimeter has been optimally utilized, so that despite the significant reduction in size compared to the previous bathroom, there is still room for a small bathtub. The colors white, light blue, dark blue and coral as an accent color were also combined here.
The simple step design not only saves space and material, but also allows Natural Light to enter the stairwell.
The bathrooms were visually divided into three parts. As in the kitchen, the lower area is white. The middle area is painted in a light shade of blue. White tiles with dark blue grouting complement the lower levels. The ceiling and the ceiling frieze were painted dark blue. Coral was also used here as an accent color. Where possible, old components were also integrated into the new concept - such as here the existing shelving which was simply given a new coat of paint.
Attention was paid to even the smallest details - including the vanity unit of the washbasin and the towel rail.
Two top windows were positioned between the two bathrooms to provide the small shower room with natural light.
The transition between new and old can be seen next to the old bathroom window. The tiles were connected to the plaster with a coving, as was customary in buildings of this age. The natural stone window sill from an earlier renovation was also retained.
The shower room is compact and tidy. The shower tray has been overlapped with the bathtub in the bath, saving space. The built-in cabinet is also the rear wall to the bath and the side wall to the shower. Here, too, the planning was absolutely space-saving. The two skylights provide the interior bathroom with natural light.
A large mirror integrated into the tiles visually enlarges the room. All elements in the room are also color-coordinated and contribute to the harmonious overall look. Despite its compact size, the bathroom does not feel cramped.
The last structural change was a small anteroom separated from the largest room in the apartment. This provides space for the laundry area as well as additional storage space. This also brought the room sizes of the two children to a similar size. Also nice to see here - all existing doors were saved and installed in new positions or in new walls.
