Young Family’s Multitasking Space
Multitasking Space Client
This young couple had a toddler and were soon expecting their second son. Living in an old apartment with their business premises underneath this was always going to be a busy space! The flat had been extended once before and a doorway through the old thick cable end now connected a small lounge and a dated kitchen.
The spaces were so separated keeping an eye on the babies was impossible from one room to another so we needed to come up with a better layout!
Multitasking Space Scope/Client Brief
The original idea was to redesign the kitchen and create more space that way, but this expensive change would only partially have solved the problem. Our choice was to take down the wall between the lounge and the kitchen and modernise and unify the rooms to function as one.
Property Challenges
That wall was huge! When the client had first been knocking the inbuilt cupboards in the kitchen wall it had sounded hollow, giving the illusion that the wall would not be as thick as it was. What actually had happened was that these cabinets were added on to the slightly thinner sections of this nearly 3 foot wall! Indeed it was solid throughout and we had to re-evaluate what the client’s priorities were based on the scale and cost of works this challenge would require to solve!
Our Interior Design Solution
Three huge steel beams had to go in to support the weight of the bedrooms above! Budget to this growing family was key, so we compromised by leaving a nib of the stone wall in situ. We hid the tall kitchen units behind this so it all appeared to be planned in. A blackboard feature dressed up the rest of it and would now be a cool way to write up shopping and to do lists by everyone in the family!
Given majority of the budget was spent on the structural works and building warrant, we opted to paint the kitchen cabinets and add a cool workman’s bench to replace the dated island. To make space it was moveable so flexible for storage and prep surface alike. Its patina added to the industrial feel the newly painted cabinets had which was further enhanced by the brick orange paint colour in the space saving built in seat.
