Interior layout of an apartment: what are the best solutions?

Original article written by Pillar

When it comes to renovating a home where you’ve lived for a long time, you might wonder if there’s another way you could distribute the space, different from how it is now, that would give a new look and a fresh feel to the place without harming the internal efficiency that you’re used to.

One way to get an idea for what possible shapes the space of the house could take is to consult several architects during the design phase, not just one. These days, such a consultation is possible thanks to websites like GoPillar.com, where you can get loads of different project ideas for your space and choose the one you like most.

Take the case of a competition for a flat of 70m2 (753 sq ft), for example, which has received 41 different proposals for the internal layout redistribution from architects and designers worldwide.

The project which was eventually taken on by the owner was that of architect Damla Gulmez, who redesigned set-up of the property, optimising it with respect to the position of the sun at various points during the day to attain the best lighting possible and improve energy efficiency. By creating an open space in the centre of the property, there’s no part of the room that stays dark.

The kitchen becomes the heart of the house with its large central island, around which is the dining room. The open-plan continuity between the living room and the kitchen allows extra sunlight to come in from the north and west. One bedroom is south facing and the other east facing, so the people who live there can enjoy the early morning light.

The second-place proposal was from Alessio Pea, who came up with the idea of clearly dividing up the spaces according to their function. One side of the house is entirely taken up by the bedroom and the other by the living room. This allows access to the only bathroom in the property from anywhere as it’s in the centre of the apartment.

A wall separating the living room from the entrance is a clever design trick used to maximise the available space in the kitchen. It also allows the kitchen to be used on three sides without encroaching on the living room area. A cabinet can be placed along this same interior wall on the side of the hallway, increasing storage space in the small flat.

Finally, Renee Soleti's proposal came in third place, with a distribution style based largely on the principles of simplicity and flexibility. The space dedicated to the entrance hall is minimised as much as possible and serves only to access the other rooms. In the bedroom there is a large, versatile space for use as a study, spare room, storage area or even opened up to combine with the living room through the ingenious use of sliding walls.

The kitchen is placed in the part of the apartment that receives the most natural light and has the main cabinet space on one wall and a semi-circular island in the middle that opens to the rest of the lounge. This maintains the functional use of the spaces while being visually open but at the same time giving a certain amount of division between the spaces and privacy when eating in the dining room. The kitchen has also been perfectly integrated with a large balcony which can even serve as a dining room in the summer.

So now you know, if you want to get some ideas for how to redistribute the layout of your home, you’ve got a whole global network of designers to help you on GoPillar.com.