I have a client who owns a split level home. He rents out the upper level and lives in the large room on the lower level and needs this room to function as a studio apartment.
In these economic times, many families have multiple generations in their home or want a space for a teenager or renter. This design plan creates multiple spaces within one large downstairs room in a popular split-level plan. I want to show you possibilities, ideas and solutions for small-space living.
I went to his home and measured the room and the furniture he is keeping.
He plans to purchase a new sofa, lay laminate flooring and paint the walls above the paneling.
Redesigns are best told in "before and afters". Here is a diagram of the room and furniture as it was when I visited him.
This is my recommended plan. The majority of his furniture is re-postitioned. The only new items needed to create this space were the sectional, the bar height table with stools, and shelving.
The client plans to purchase a flat screen TV to hang above the fireplace.
Shelves installed in the space between the fireplace and the wall makes a place for his DVR, and makes an attractive space to display other items.
His desk was in the far back corner of his room.
To create a separate office space, I placed the desk behind the sofa with the back facing a wardrobe closet that the client already owned. The wardrobe helps separate the living space from the bedroom and opens up toward the bedroom to store his clothing. I suggested placing cork tiles on the back of the wardrobe to cover up the unfinished side and to use as a place to hang notes, etc.
The ceiling mount light fixture is replaced by track lighting to brighten the area.
I placed a sectional sofa on an angle across from the fireplace and TV.
These cabinets were purchased from craiglist and will be used to create a small kitchen area.
I suggested open shelving on one side of the cabinets so that the small space doesn't feel too heavy and to keep costs down. The table across from the refrigerator is a counter height table with 2 bar stools that slide completely underneath. This gives him a place to eat and can be used for additional counter prep space.
The light fixture in this area was also replaced with a track light. The benefit of track lights is that you aim each bulb where you need light.
I moved the wardrobe closet to the other side of the room to separate the living and bedroom areas.
This is a view of the bedroom area.
I suggested hanging a curtain from the ceiling between the wardrobe and the wall to separate the bedroom and living area.
The curtain can be closed for privacy or left open.
Here's another view into the bedroom/kitchen area.
The wall to the left of the curtain is next to the entry door and is a great place to hang a rack for coats, keys, umbrellas, etc.
This design plan requires no new walls or any wall removal. The creative use of furniture makes separating spaces for small areas easy and affordable!
I hope this inspires you to see the possibilities of good space design. If you are in need of a design plan for your space, please call me at 503-997-2325 or visit my
website!
