This episode of Never Too Small is sponsored by BetterHelp.
I think multifunctional furniture is very important for small living.
You have to accommodate so many functions in such small spaces
that it enriches the concept of the design that you are trying to achieve.
My name is Carol Burton.
I'm an architect.
Specialise in graphy and scenery.
The apartment is located in Bilerman Neighborhood in Buenos Aires City.
It's a very lively and elegant neighborhood.
The building is from the nineteen forties.
It was always meant to be a residential building.
The picturesque architecture of this building
reflects in the lobby, the stairs and the apartments.
The apartment is 54 square meters.
The ground floor is 27 square meters
and the mezzanine is 17 square meters.
Even though the main use of this building is residential,
this unit had been an office for the last 10 years when we first came.
The unit was compartmented in three offices
in the ground floor, and it was really small and dark.
In the mezzanine, there was a bigger office with a kitchenette and a bathroom.
The client's brief was to build
a spacious, luminous and elegant apartment.
We removed the kitchen from the mezzanine to the ground floor.
We put the toilet and the kitchen
and the main stair in one side of the apartment.
In the mezzanine, we put the main bedroom and the bathroom.
The client decided not to put a laundry space in the apartment
because the neighborhood is full of laundromats.
The big window is the only light entrance the apartment has.
Our design concept was to make a fluid and open space so as when you
walk into the apartment, you are directly drawn into the big window.
The kitchen is one unit with a staircase.
It's minimal, but fully equipped with electrical stove and oven.
To make this little kitchen a little bit more spacious,
all the cabinets are designed in the lower part of the kitchen.
And we also built a floating shelf.
Under the stairs is part pantry and part storage,
and we also fit the fridge in there.
The kitchen table was custom
made for this apartment by Dijon Primos.
We wanted to create a flow from the entrance to the living room area.
So we decided to put smooth edged furniture in the kitchen so as to achieve
that. We also included a small toilet
next to the kitchen for the guests.
For the living room,
our idea was to design a very flexible space.
The only design in the living room
was the multifunctional staircase.
The stair was built in one piece of folded metal.
It has a structural beam under.
The main bedroom is in the mezzanine.
We decided to change the glass balustrade for a metal one
in order to create a little privacy from the street.
Due to the structure of the building and some odd angles behind the bed,
we had some space left where we decided to put the wardrobe
The addition of the bathroom and the main bedroom
is made out of three panels of fantasy glass to create some privacy.
But we wanted the natural light to come in to the bathroom.
We cover the bathroom from floor to top in pterosaur
so you can have the feeling when you're inside of a wider space.
We decided to use a floating sink
in order to get some more space in the floor in the bathroom.
Most of the furniture pieces are multifunctional pieces,
and they were all custom made from a studio tear.
Such as a chair in the main bedroom that can be used as a clothes hanger.
There's also a bookshelf that it's used as a shoe storage
and also to accommodate some books and magazines.
My philosophy when it comes to small spaces, it's a combination
of my awareness of demography and the need of cutting down consumption.
The less materials you use, I think the better the space responds to the user.
I use a lot of calm design.
What I really want to achieve is comfort.
As life in cities is becoming more expansive and denser,
I think the refurbishment and restoration of apartments is very important.
Community really
feels alienated when politicians decide
to tear all down and start all over again like a tabula rasa.
We have to try to make these small apartments comfortable,
healthy and accessible for all people to come to the city.
Mixed use in residential areas is very important.
Also mixed class.
It makes communities richer and more sociable.
And of course, the result is a more livable city or neighborhood.
This episode of Never To Small is sponsored by BetterHelp.
How are you going?
Yeah, it's been a tough year.
Don't get us wrong.
This stuff is small in the context of what many of you have lived through.
But when the pandemic first hit,
it wasn't clear how we'd be able to continue making Never Too Small.
We needed help too.
Is there something interfering with your happiness
or preventing you from achieving your goals?
BetterHelp will assess your needs
and match you with your own licensed professional therapist.
There is a broad range of expertize in BetterHelp, 15,000 plus counselor
network, and the service is available for clients worldwide.
You can start communicating within 48 hours.
You'll get timely and thoughtful responses.
Plus, you can schedule weekly video or phone sessions.
It's more affordable
than traditional offline counseling and financial aid is available.
BetterHelp wants you to start living a happier life today.
Visit betterhelp.com/nevertoosmall.
That's better h-e-l-p and join the more than one million people
taking charge of their mental health with the help of an experienced professional.
As a special offer for Never Too Small viewers, you can get
10 percent off your first month at betterhelp.com/nevertoosmall