On an average prices of apartments go up about 3% each year in Dhaka. Owing to this trend and a shift in family structures in the city, there has been an emergence of extra small apartments in the last few years. One such apartment is this 1100 square feet abode of a small family in Diabari, Uttara. Minus Designs, the architectural firm behind this project envisioned the apartment to be the first of many such spaces coming their way and tried to formulate a rhythm to add luxury within a measured area. The key points were- wants and needs of the family of 4 who were going to live in this apartment, convenience of use and maintenance of all the furniture and decor and lastly to design something that does not use “limited square footage” as an excuse for a boring design.
The design emphasized a lot on the cabinetry of the project. The idea was to integrate as much furniture as possible into the space. As a result the users will have to acquire very few loose pieces, which means the space will remain clutter-free. For a small space it is very important- to meet all the storage needs of the client. Otherwise they have to bring in extra furniture for storage and if there is no designated space for that in the design, that piece of furniture would end up creating chaos.
All design begins with a color palette and/ or a mood board of materials.
The floor:
Kept a light color in glossy finish for ease of pairing with all tones of furniture.
The furniture:
All the furniture are done in a mix of 2 opposite materials- a somber-colored, matt wood and a reflective and eclectic red-orange
The countertops:
Dark granite was chosen to be a middle ground between the wood and the bright color
The glasswork:
Black smoky glass is used in places to pair with the dark stone and together they exude a feeling of luxury The spaces in the apartment are alive, they can transform into smaller or bigger spaces. There are 2 children of age 7 and 9 in the apartment- the spaces needed to cater to their wishes as well. Their home should provide them with all the healthy ingredients they need to grow up- space to run around without the fear of knocking something over, natural air and sunlight and surfaces that can handle being used roughly by them. The fact that their parents are also happy to call this a home is an added bonus for Minus Designs and team.
