Relocation of a Small Studio for a Family Couple

The owners of this Sydney apartment, Michael O'Brien and Kerry Fif, 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 mobility.

When Michael and Kerry found their future apartment, they immediately faced a dilemma: on one hand, excellent 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 space for the living room and kitchen. But the couple of two architects did not hesitate about the complex layout and decided to buy 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 mobile wardrobes. This system makes the space wider and more flexible. For example, if there is not enough room in the kitchen, the wardrobe can be moved to the living room and vice versa.

The apartment is decorated with many light and neutral tones that enhance the sense of space: grey floor, white plastered walls, wooden furniture.

We aimed to choose a classic color palette for the interior that will remain relevant at all times and never get old.

The kitchen in the studio is tiny — only four square meters. Minimal decor 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 wardrobe. There's space for a sofa, a full-wall wardrobe, a dining table and even a coffee table. If more space is needed, the owners simply push the mobile partition wardrobe aside.

The bedroom interior features the same light color palette and materials (wood) as in the entire studio. A flexible system with transformer furniture is used here: 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 in it is tiled: black on the floor and white on the walls. A good solution when you want to expand the space.