NEVER TOO SMALL Italian Transforming Tiny Studio Apartment - 44sqm/473sqft
Vložit
- čas přidán 8. 09. 2024
- In order to maximise space in this small 44sqm apartment ATOMAA had to completely reimagine it’s floor plan, moving a troubling central bathroom that awkwardly split the home in two. This in turn allowed ATOMAA to expand the living and dining spaces, and introduce more natural light throughout the home. Using flexible sliding doors and curtains to facilitate the open transmission of light, and ease of movement throughout the home; yet still allow for privacy when needed. The addition of a laundry and a new, warmer & brighter material palette throughout leave this micro apartment almost unrecognizable compared to its previous form.
If you’re an architect or designer with a project we could feature, please share it with us at www.nevertoosm...
Check out our merch - www.nts.store
Workspace by Never Too Small - www.nts.space
#smallapartment #architecture #interiordesign
Project Name: Abruzzi
Architect: atomaa.eu/
Website www.nevertoosm...
Instagram / nvtsmall
Facebook / nvtsmall
Produced by newmac.co
Creator: Colin Chee
Camera: Alessandro Carpentiero Photography
Producer: Lindsay Barnard
Editor: Jessica Ruasol
Music: Final Steps by Be Still the Earth
Arlist.io
That shot of the elevator ascending and the dimly-lit staircase was lovely.
Ikr? Felt that it could be part is of a film
the staircase was beautiful but the hallway was scary dark..
Human friendly elevators.
yes, quite Wes Anderson esque!
Sliding doors are our best friend.
For real. I don't understand why we use "regular" doors still. To me its a relic of the past we need to give up as much as possible
Especially pocket doors.
Maybe because sliding doors doesn't do well when it comes to soundproofing and not durable enough compared to panel doors.
@@Adilboukind Look into sound and longevity between standard doors and sliding/pocket doors.
2 sliding doors in a bathroom = smell all over the flat
Wow I love this one. Each room on it's own still feels like it could be part of a normal house. The sofa isn't tiny and looks like you could actually be comfortable on it. There is a proper place for jackets by the door, and masses of storage above the entry way.
There is a significant lack of counter space in the kitchen but that is expected - there is a full size sink for once! I just love this one, I could really see myself living in it and I wouldn't even have to sell half my belongings first (storage wise)
For food prepping, you could always use the dining table as additional counter space or put a large cutting board over the sink.
@@levison7935 yeah it's definitely easy enough to work around, and I prefer it this way than having a sink you can only fit one mug in!
I agree with you.
This is definitely one of my favorite and for once there is storage everywhere and I can see you could add more over the wardrobe :p
i totally agree. this house looks very normal from the appliances and furnitures and not as 'shrinked' as most small apartments. not a fan of the layout but they really do great. there's empty space next to most furnitures instead of tetris-ing everything to the wall. it's just nice all around. and somehow does feel lived in.
There's also no real pantry space. There is the shelving on the back wall but do you really want your messy pantry items on display all the time?
I do like it but the curtains just give it that slight hospital ward vibe but overall great use of space.
I’m not a fan of the curtains, there would seem to be more esthetic options. Semi-transparent sliding doors, pocket doors, sliding screens or any of those with just a window transom at the top would let light through and maintain some privacy. Maybe the curtains were due to a cost or structural consideration that wasn’t shared? The diagonal pattern on the floor while very attractive doesn’t make the space seem larger. Still, much of the design, particularly in the kitchen, is very impressive! It’s clear that an architectural hand was at work here. Gotta give it up for Milan and design.
Agree, not a fan of the curtains at all, takes it back to last century.
They're a very common element in the Milanese interior design tradition.
I have to admit that the gray color and the skimpiness of the fabric is not to my taste, but in an apartment with hard surfaces everywhere, curtains do give a visual softness and a much more pleasant acoustic quality.
Not the best way to use them though. Given the deep tone and the fact that curtains tend to be more visually intrusive, they should have given the house a bigger volume, for example by leaving the full ceiling.
In the end the main problem of the house was the lack of light, but the low ceiling possibly make it worse.
The floor plan is much improved over the original plan.
well the original one is so shit theres no way you can make it worse. of course they improved it, but i think its still not quite good
@@jdmfsdjs are you an architect?
@@adriannerun41 no, why?
@@jdmfsdjs I guess you cant have an opinion on it if you are not an architect.... ROLF
@@R1S0. yes Im sure thats the reason he asked, I was just curious about a detailed explanation lol
I love the floor and layout, but I really wonder: why didn't they use the full high of the apartment? In the living room especially it looks a bit like a missed opportunity.
Awesome video as usual :)
I so agree with you... with the building like that, I expected high ceiling apartment... I was so disappointed that they re-design with too many partition ... even the height of those curtain or sliding doors should be higher.. missed opportunity indeed... It feels like living in the alot of boxes...
I totally agree ! They could have at the very least installed a hidden storage space that would store at least the seasonal clothes that you don't wear at that moment. Or just a basic storage.
I feel like the house would feel a lot smaller and darker for a bit of added storage space. In theory it's a great idea, but in practise it would take something away. And maybe the people living here don't need that. It's designed for clients, not for everybody.
High ceiling is a deciding factor, it adds verticality, you can not subdivide such a valuable space to add extra visual clutter, shelving, sleeping spaces, etc
@@valeriegalchenko2360 @madamelicorne my original point was not to necessarily make some storage space, it's just that here they didn't do ... Anything? I would think either they use the hight for storage OR they use it for the esthetics of high ceilings. But here they just have this lowered false ceiling that reduces the vertical space with no real purpose
Not bad, but I feel like there are more that can be done to make use of that high ceilings in living and bedroom.
I thought the space above was meant to be used for storage?
Yes. I wish to see more ideas on utilizing ceiling height !
I think the old dividing walls must have been structural/housing beams they did not want to expose, hence they kept the upper parts.
Same. Like, a place where guests could sleep, maybe? I dunno, it just bothered me to see all of that space just sitting there...
@@AyeshaLuc It looks like there’s enough space for someone to sleep above the hallway. Just add a mattress and a ladder. If it’s your space, you could do whatever you wanted to it.
Admittedly this channel is the reason i got interested in architecture... Now that i am on my first exam term and studying all of this i can appreciate the immense talent and thinking that got invested into tiny apartments like this one :)
Never stop uploading, because this channel just breathes inspiration!
it would be helpful if the channel always mentions the cost that took to make the transformation of the apartments.be it in the video or might be in the description box.
Completely agree!
I would love to know that as well.
Most probably because it would scare us
@@banibatbout at least people can save money to get a home close to this kinda design.
@@fouziafatimanazneen6782 it might be helpful, although labour and material costs are different compared to where the designs are produced
The kitchen is nice! I would've done without the curtains dividing the living room and kitchen. The two rooms are pretty distinct and I feel it would feel bigger to leave it open
I was wondering if this was a cultural thing. The curtain separation also seemed odd to me, but perhaps seeing the dirty dishes, as he put it, or cleaning up while guests are around, would be strange in Italy.
I totally agree. Those curtains are cumbersome by the way in my personal opinion, but hey it's the owner's preference.
I mean, if I had friends over, I wouldnt want them looking at my room from the living room
@@gregap8282 The kitchen and the bedroom is separated by a sliding door anyway. They were talking about the curtain between the living room and the kitchen. But yeah, in a bigger apartment such as this, it would be preferable to be able to hide the sleeping and intimate space
If the lIving room had a sleeper-sofa, its probably nice to give guests more privacy.
It’s unfortunate that the apartment wasn’t designed with wider windows originally. At least the new layout brings in more overall light than the old one.
@Coni Glione Then at least this is bigger than the servants’ quarters l’ve seen in Paris.
@Coni Glione In Europe they certainly did.
@Coni Glione Sounds reasonable to me.
@@guidoguarnieri7411 New ones are tall and narrow as well, maybe not as much as the ones in this video, but narrow nonetheless
The whole curtains as a room divider thing always seems more like a student's bedsit solution rather than a well thought out design choice for a small apartment. The sliding wall panels are a good concept, the curtains don't really add anything & are really just a cluttered half-measure
These ones seemed ill-fitting and poorly installed which accentuated that half-measure feeling. They could have used a far nicer material and installed with more consideration to the track and finish.
Just looked at it again and they clearly used pre-made curtains (there's a label sticking out of the bedroom divider curtain at 5:59) made for a wall mounted track but installed them in a top mount track. That excess folded out at the top of the lounge divider is terrible. 1:24
I agree. They felt like something you throw up as a poor, temporary solution and make the space feel less well-designed.
The color doesn't help... I don't understand why they didn't use white curtains to match the walls. And it is poorly installed, the ruffles at the top looks bad. I have seen room dividing curtains hanged in such a way, that the railing and the top of the curtain it hidden from both side by an extension of the wall, just like sometimes gliding door railings are also installed inside the wall, and made invisible. Installed like this, curtains do not look bad
Yes, those curtains are bad, even the color. And they slso cut so much height and width with the dividing walls. Some japanese curtain panels would have been so much better.
My heart does a lil dance on every new video notif
Yeeees
I would only make the sofa and curtains in light linen colour, as that will make the space a lot wider. Also a few mirrors placed in critical position (or a wall to ceiling mirror partition) to bounce off the light coming from the living room window.
I really like the colour pallet not as bland as alot of these apartments
I think it depends totally on what you prefer. I like the choice of the color for this one yeah but I liked most of the other ones as well.
Love this apartment mainly the bedroom and the bathroom with double entrance. I don't really like that much the living room that felt a bit cold comparing it to the rest of the flat.
The empty space above the lowered ceiling at the entrance really throws me off
I love the concept of a double entrance to the bathroom until I saw one opens into the shower. I don't want to walk through a wet shower just to grab something I forgot before bed. I'd end up just walking around to the other entrance most of the time.
In this case I don't think the apartment has been really optimized, 44 mq is not so small and I would have used better the high ceilings, I would have avoided the curtains and the curved wall and used lighter colors. The livingroom has not a big sense, neither has the small room next to the balcony. Great potential, not really used. Of course is just a personal, subjective opinion! These videos are always great anyway to get ideas!
The kitchen is a goal!!! So nice cozy, warm, a hit. A total miss is the living room,. I wouldn't even call it that, no character, there is just a sofa that is facing nothing
Sara Nena DIY
That loft area over the front door, which extended all the way to the bedroom, could have been itself an interesting element to explore. Would have liked to see them do something with that space.
I love the new layout. Even though the place is darkish, it is very pretty and practical. True home...
I like the flexibility of rooms that can be left open or closed off. I am not a fan of the curtains, but they might grow on me. Love the little reading nook. I think I might have asked for a bigger living area and smaller kitchen/dining.
Definitely a great re-layout with strong priorities. Really keen to learn how the architect solved the sanitary connection for the toilet bowl :D
Attached to the neighbors' one.
I think this is the first video where I was not only impressed by the apartment room, but also the whole building, with its beautiful exterior and interior design (the stairs and the wooden elevator).
It is really nice if It suits your needs. It all depends on the priorities. I would never put away a bathroom with a window and a bath, and would have put the kitchen in the back instead to free an extra room for the bedroom. But all in all it looks really nice. One of my favourite videos on the channel
finally a small space that makes sense - I really like the light the new layout brings
I love how the transformation of the apartment is explained since I think we all agree that each of the spaces was used in a better way. But there is something that caught my attention the most, and that is the versatility of each space, especially the room, which offers the option of a private reading room.
Curtains are a nuisance. If anything, use retracting frosted doors on the bedroom only. Living room and kitchen should be wide open.
yeah when he said you can hide the mess in the kitchen when you have friends over I was like wtf is this bullshit, I wouldnt have my friends sit in that tiny boring "living room", you should have them in the dining and living room together, as the dining room functions as a living room too in such an apartment
I think it doesn’t help that those curtains are exceptionally ugly. I also thought, “why not spring for a couple more sliding doors?” And it is weird to have curtains for the specific purpose hiding your kitchen mess from your dinner guests.
Agree. Curtains are just dust and odor magnets. And good luck if the owners have a cat 😂
Heavy curtains absorb noise. They mentioned it in the video.
Everybody according their taste. I loved the curtains.
I’d swap the living room
And kitchen around I feel like the living area would work better there, I’d use the curve in the wall to place a bench for the dining table
Possibly, although it's difficult to argue with with what they have accomplished here: a spacious feeling (in a small footprint)! 🤔
Plumbing: Gotta work with what they had
I was thinking the same
@@nzkpp I doubt that is the problem; in the original layout the kitchen was there...
I would think it has more to do with possible guest staying over. When you use the living room as a bedroom, both rooms can acces the kitchen without having to disturb the others.
Great redesign on the new layout, the storage and bathroom, bedroom all pleasing to the eye and functional. Just those curtains actually give off the energy you wanna hide your apartment because of the space restrictions, instead of the viewer appreciating how the apartment “appears bigger” - the curtains have now become the focal point especially in the living room. But of course this is your home and as long as you are happy that’s the most important. 🏡
I am really inspired by the layout. I hope to buy and renovate an apartment around this size within the next few years and this layout seems ideal to me. I am not too fond of the colours and some of the interior design but I really think this layout maximizes the usability of the limited space. The bedroom kinda looks like a fancy hospital room from the '70s and that is not a compliment. Still, what they have done here is very inspiring
something about those floors really does it for me
The kitchen in particular! 👍🏼🎖️🥂
I like this place. The new layout gives a new and warm feeling to it. I like the dual door of the bathroom. The multiple layers of division to this small space is awesome.
I love the production value of your videos. It's insanely good! :D
This is a nice one. Doesn't look small at all, and not like it's compromising anything
The layout is very smart! I think it would be fun if the interior complements the windows more, but still very nice!! 👍
Ingenious design. I love the sliding doors. My only personal change would be to change the space defining curtains for something heavier and more intentional looking. But then I'm a textile girl..... :D
Agreed. I like your choice of the word 'intentional'. Heh.
Genius way of organizing space, only thing the bedroom seems a little bit too empty. Ben fatto in ogni caso!
Too good... Bathroom great size, storage great, kitchen very nice... Overall really good... Sliding doors... Love it... 👍🏻
Beautiful...wish I could live in Milan..
It's beautiful, light, functional, and modern in such a gorgeous old building. I would have loved to see the curtains replaced with more sliding doors though. But that's a personal thing.
Folding panel doors may have been a better choice for the separation of the living room and kitchen/dining area. Maybe with frosted glass/plexi panels, to allow the flow of the limited light from the windows but still separate the two.
I like plywood sliding doors but I believe that you should try to use it as divider between kitchen and living room as well. I simply do not like those drapes.
I really like how they rearranged the place! It's so bigger now, very comfortable and pretty. I just don't like the curtains, it seems a bit floppy to me... I would prefer another sliding door or to left it a open space. But this is just personal taste
Wow, this is one of my favorites that I’ve seen on the channel. I can’t believe it’s less than 500sqft! The sliding doors and curtains aren’t quite my style, but otherwise, I could totally live here happily.
I love it, it’s perfect. I lived in Gaeta , off the Amalfi coast, and I lived in a beautiful apartment overlooking the ocean, it was a nice apartment, a new build, but I love the look of the older apartments. Maybe one day I’ll get back to Italy.
I would take the old flat - just like it was before. The floor plan made so much sense. And now there is a lot of character missing.
The new floor plan concept has merit, but the actual finished execution feels awkward to me. It seems like the height of the space could have been utilised better, and the finishes feel awkward in relation to the heritage of the building.
The simplest one on this channel ☺️☺️☺️
I do like the flexible space arrangement. I would favour sliding doors/ bifold doors instead of the grey curtains (if space allows). Great work! G (Irel)
Really nice place. I love the floors. It's a very cozy and inviting space. It's modern but not cold feeling and just all white like allot allot places are. So much thought has been put into the design. I love if. Lovely old building too.
Some really clever ideas, with the sliding doors and the placement of the rooms which allows for light. Though there seems to be a lot of wasted space in the ceilings? I personally like high ceilings, as they can give comfort in tiny spaces, however since these have been partitioned off - it seems like that effect is lost?
One of my favorites. Would only add doors between livingroom and kitchen in the event that guests stay over. Would be nice to have a sound barrier for late sleepers. Bravo.
One of the best floor plan improvements I've seen in a while, and so many smart, simple features, like the varying divides between the bedroom and the rest of the space to allow access to the balcony and retain privacy in the bedroom if needed.
High ceilings are our best friend
The character of the arch & former pink ceilings would've been elements I kept
what a lovely apartment in a lovely building.
Beautiful! And deceptively simple I’m betting....👏🏽👏🏽
This is one of the greatest small apartment layouts I’ve seen! All too often I think people maximise a feeling of space and light by removing all the walls but in practice that can lead to being more claustrophobic as you never feel as though you’re in a different zone or room. This is a very sensitive balance between space and separation!
Oh wow! This is genius!!
They've created an atmosphere with the right match of color tones. The concept is seamless and well organized. Small but efficient space for living. When you think you're lacking something but you come to the conclusion that it's better for the sake of balance not to be perfect. Just proper modern home, one of my favorites from NTS👌🏻
this is, by far, the best layout I've seen 👌
even though I really dislike the curtains and partitions, still this is probably one of my favourite remodels shown on this channel. I really like the layout, the kitchen is simply beautiful and the living room has so much potential. The original floor plan made no sense and they managed to create something functional, spacious and beautiful within the same space.
I kind of wish I’d got to see out on the balcony 😋makes me think yeah I could do small space living... well if I had a architect at my disposal lol
Love the ability to create multiple spaces with the curtains and sliding doors. And the bathroom with two entrances great 👍
I love these episodes where the designer has the challenge of only being able to change some interior walls (in the case of historical buildings, etc). In a lot of them I always think, "Hm, I would have put that over there" but this one is great and I'd happily move right in.
I guess the design really depends on the user. In this space, I am imagining a bathtub and the bathroom near the window because sunlight is a natural germ killer. Im going to put the kitchen near window for ventillation and bed at the back area for privacy and shade. It's so nice to dream...
Nice job on an awkward space. They made the very most of the high ceilings and layout .
Love the brightness in this studio
Wow that staircase with the elevator is really nice
I don't consider a 44 sqm "studio tiny apartment", it's actually a pretty nice size to me haha
For me too. I live in one with housband and 3 dogs.
Italian taste, magnificent!
will always support and love what you do on this channel
Loved the rearrange of the space, it was so clever. Everything is wide and fitting.
This is one of the best designs I have ever seen.
appreciate the logic behind each design choice in the house
I was there! Not in the house, But in the Milan area XD
I really like how an old house can have a new life, change completely. I love the transition of the rooms, and I love that kitchen 😍
Excelente re-diseño de plano. La decoración es adaptable, personalizándola y listo! Cambien o quiten las cortinas a su gusto. Es luminoso, hay buena ventilación y almacenamiento.
Ahora pregunto, ¿por qué en ninguno de los departamentos que muestran hay TV?
Desde Argentina 🇦🇷
This feels like the most realistic and livable apartment makeover on the channel!
While I admire the innovation to maximize the space, it always kills me to see these gorgeous old buildings with original fixtures intact be completely stripped down to modern aesthetic. It's their space and they can do with it what they wish, but I wish there was more respect for the historical integrity of these structures and that renovations did what they could to keep the original charm and marry it with the inhabitors' taste.
I like the new layout but I think I would have just hung the separation curtains all the way from the high ceiling instead of having the quasi wall come down from the ceiling. That way when the curtains are opened there would be an even great distribution of the natural light.
It is a wonderful design. But I had a query. Since it is a building, the plumbing might have already been done. And as the layout has been changed, along with the bathroom position, how was the plumbing managed?If the resolution of services is also explained in the video, it would be a complete learning experience and would be very helpful to us. Thank you!!!Namaste 😊🙏🏻Love your channel.💕
👍🏼 Yes! I have just enough building experience to wonder how that could be done! 🤔
The original plubming probably always went through the area of the new bathroom, but extended out much further into the old bathroom. They just tapped into it (pun intended ;-)) earlier for the new bathroom and closed it off.
Very good use of space.... looks very functional and much bigger than it is.
Really like this apartment. I like how you can close off areas. Agree about the curtain, it’s like they ran out of money at the end of the project. If be happy living here, it felt like a proper home and not like a rental space like some do.
One of the best designs to date. Thx!
Brilliant speech. One of the actually small spaces AND small budget projects yet has its own soul. Bravo!
Ooooh this apartment design is really charming.
I really love the floor. So pretty!
This is my favourite video you've done so far. It's bright, yet the choices of materials give a cozy feeling. The layout is genius and the space is used so well that you feel it's a lot bigger than it is. Fantastic!
It's amazing. Definitely imagining myself living there 🙏😊
I really really enjoyed this apartment!
Simply beautiful!
Just gorgeous! Not to mention an intelligent design!
Very neat, nothing needs to be folded. I love it.
Oh, i love the idea! The new layout its really cool and so spacious! I love the curtain idea and sliding door! Its really cool!
This is a beautifully designed space without feeling like you packed too much in a small space. I don’t like some redesigns where there are platforms or stairs to introduce a two level apartment. Love it!
this apartment looks so spacious, very well designed!
This is beautiful and I think is a way having plenty of white without seeing impersonal because the wood is so nice. I typically don't like white much in rooms but I could handle this type. The only think which is a maintenance issue I think is wood starts to creak. I really need quiet and would like sound deadening material. :) The space is really nice.
I adore this apartment. The only thing I would change is the colour of the curtains. Not sure what colour I would have but definitely not the green.
Such a ingredible design. Absolutey stunning
It feels very bright and airy. I love it