Reconfiguration of a Small Studio for a Family Couple

The owners of this apartment in Sydney are a couple, Michael O'Brien and Kerry Fify, who consciously moved from a large family house to a small studio.

As you age, when children grow up and move out, you need less space and more freedom of movement.

When Michael and Kerry found their future apartment, they immediately faced a dilemma: on one hand, good location in the center of Sydney, and on the other — a complex layout where the main area was taken by the bedroom, leaving almost no room for the living room and kitchen. But the couple of two architects didn’t shy away from the complex layout and decided to purchase it.

The layout was, to say the least, inconvenient, so we decided to remove all walls and partitions that were possible.

Now there are no walls between the bedroom, living room, and kitchen, but instead there are partitions made of tall furniture on wheels. This system makes the space wider and more flexible. For example, if there is not enough room in the kitchen, the cabinet can be moved to the living room and vice versa.

The apartment is decorated with many light and neutral tones that expand the space: grey floors, white plastered walls, wooden furniture.

We aimed to choose a classic interior color palette that will always be relevant and never get old.

The kitchen in the studio is tiny — only four square meters. Minimal decoration and maximum functionality. All major appliances (refrigerator, oven, microwave) and storage spaces were placed in the lower part of the kitchen to avoid cluttering the upper space and blocking natural light from windows.

The living room — also the kitchen — is divided by a cabinet. The living room has space for a sofa, a walk-in closet along the entire wall, an dining table, and even a coffee table. If more space is needed, the owners simply push the mobile partition cabinet aside.

The bedroom has the same light color palette and materials (wood) as the rest of the studio. The room features a flexible system with transformer furniture: the bed folds up and becomes a side table, while the wardrobe serves as a partition between zones.

The bathroom is the only room with a door. Everything here is tiled: black on the floor and white on the walls. A good trick when you need to expand space.