Tips for Creating a Dual-Purpose Dining Room
Have you ever wanted to increase the size of your home to add an extra bedroom or study, or to fulfil your dreams of creating a room where you can dump everything that simply does not have a place? As a practicing architect, I have been involved in the design of very large homes to meet these needs, as well as not-so-large homes that also want flexible space. I have come to a conclusion: The more rooms you have, the more stuff you will fill them with. Homes are becoming more expensive and sheer size may not always be the right option.
Decide how much home you can afford
Sliding screens are a great way to open rooms onto other rooms, not only doubling the size of the space but in the case of this house, bringing the outside in. This small side courtyard is situated adjacent to a hallway that acts as a thoroughfare, however, when the sliding doors are open, an extra internal room is created. The open ceiling acts as a large skylight allowing the outdoor elements such as greenery, sun and the moonlight to enter. The sliding glass doors fold back onto each other and stack neatly on one wall allowing the full space to be used.
AS ARCHITECTS WE ARE OFTEN INVOLVED IN THE CONCRETE STEEL-AND-GLASS ASPECT OF IT, BUT CITIES ARE SOCIAL STRUCTURES, AND TO BE INVOLVED IN IMAGINING THE FUTURE OF CITIES AND THE TYPE OF RELATIONSHIPS AND THE TYPES OF PLACES THAT WE’RE MAKING IS SOMETHING THAT INTRIGUES ME VERY MUCH.
Choose a real estate agent carefully
This small apartment design incorporates a room within a room. Transparent glass internal walls that slide open help transform the space and make the overall apartment feel larger than what it actually is. The bed itself could easily have been a fold-out bed that disappears into the wall, providing additional flexible floor space.