Interior layout of an apartment: what the best solutions are

Original article written by Pillar

Often, when renovating an apartment where we have lived for years, we are curious to know if there is another possible distribution of space, different from the current one, which would give a new look to our house without altering the internal efficiency.

One of the best ways to understand what the possible shapes of the space for our apartment are during the design phase is not to resort to a single architect, but to several. Today this is possible thanks to platforms like GoPillar.com, through which you can receive dozens of different projects for your spaces and choose the one you prefer.

As an example, we can look at the case of a competition for an apartment of 70m2 or 753 sq ft that has received 41 different projects for the interior redistribution of spaces by architects and designers from all over the world.

The winning proposal was that of architect Damla Gulmez, who redesigned all the spaces in the apartment to optimise them with respect to the position of the sun in order to obtain the best possible lighting and energy efficiency. The creation of an open central space means that no part of the room stays dark.

The heart of the house becomes the developed kitchen with a large central island, around which the dining room is developed. The continuity between the living room and the kitchen allows the whole space to enjoy a double sun exposure, to the north and west. One bedroom faces to the south and the other to the east of the building, so that the inhabitants can enjoy the morning light.

The proposal that came in second place was by Alessio Pea, who proposed a clear division of the spaces in a functional way. One side of the house is occupied entirely by the bedroom and the other by the living room. This allows use of the only available bathroom in a very functional way, placing it in the centre of the apartment so that it is easily accessible from both areas.

The creation of a wall that separates the living room from the entrance is a very useful trick to increase the available space for the kitchen. In fact, by doing so, a support is created to develop a kitchen on three sides without invading the living room. The same wall allows a cabinet to be placed on the side of the entrance to increase storage space.

Renee Soleti's proposal is in third place, with a very particular distribution based mainly on the maximum simplicity and flexibility of the spaces. Here, the space dedicated to the entrance is reduced to a minimum and serves only as an access point to the different zones. In the bedroom there is a large, versatile space that can be used as a study, a guest room, a rest area, storage room, and can also be combined with the living room through sliding walls.

The kitchen is located in the brightest point of the apartment and consists of a main rib supported on the wall and a very special island that opens in a semicircle to the rest of the living room. This allows the spaces to remain functional and visually open, but at the same time maintaining a certain amount of privacy when eating. In addition, the kitchen is perfectly integrated with the largest balcony in the house which can be converted into a dining room in the summer.