Architecture

Architects squeeze 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms into 135-sq m apartment

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Italian architectural studio Plus Ultra has recently transformed a modest 135 sq m (1,453 sq ft) apartment into a four bedroom, three bathroom family home
Giuseppe Tagliabue
Italian architectural studio Plus Ultra has recently transformed a modest 135 sq m (1,453 sq ft) apartment into a four bedroom, three bathroom family home
Giuseppe Tagliabue
Located in Milan, the DMC Apartment boasts a light-filled, flowing interior that capitalizes on every inch of the home
Giuseppe Tagliabue
Plus Ultra came up with an interior floorplan that eliminated many of the home’s hard angles
Giuseppe Tagliabue
The architects included a gorgeous custom-made iron glass feature wal
Giuseppe Tagliabue
The  glass feature wall separates the kitchen from the open living and dining room
Giuseppe Tagliabue
The kitchen is complete with beautiful granite benchtops and ample built-in storage cupboards that take advantage of the home's tall ceilings
Giuseppe Tagliabue
Stunning glass door entry into the kitchen
Giuseppe Tagliabue
Glass doors allow natural light to filter through the home
Giuseppe Tagliabue
 By transforming the corners of the rooms into curved walls, the architects were able to maximize the floorspace
Giuseppe Tagliabue
The children's playroom/bedroom boasts a custom-made wooden unit
Giuseppe Tagliabue
The DMC apartment features a children’s playroom/bedroom with elevated loft-bed 
Giuseppe Tagliabue
The custom-made wooden unit is complete with wardrobe and storage space
Giuseppe Tagliabue
The unconventional floorplan means its inhabitants never feel cramped
Giuseppe Tagliabue
The DMC apartment’s innovative floorplan features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen and living area
Plus Ultra Architects
 Additional storage can be found hidden within the wooden steps, which provide access to the elevated bed loft
Giuseppe Tagliabue
The DMC Apartment boasts a light interior color plan throughout
Giuseppe Tagliabue
Curved walls meant the architects could claim more usable space
Giuseppe Tagliabue
Natural light filters through into the children's bedroom
Giuseppe Tagliabue
DMC Apartment floorplan by Ultra Plus Studio
Plus Ultra Architects
View gallery - 19 images

Italian architectural studio Plus Ultra has recently transformed a modest 135-sq m (1,453-sq ft) apartment into a four bedroom, three bathroom family home. Located in Milan, the DMC Apartment boasts a light-filled, flowing interior that capitalizes on every inch of the home. To achieve this feat, the architects came up with an interior floorplan that eliminated many of the home's hard angles. By transforming the corners of the rooms into curved walls, the architects were able to maximize the floorspace and squeeze all the desired attributes into the home.

"Designing a home interior often means becoming 'curators' of clients' private lives, knowing their needs, their desires, and trying to direct them," says Plus Ultra. "In this project of about 135 square meters, we needed to fit 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room. In order to distribute all these environments it was inevitable to transform part of the surface space into a circular direction."

The unconventional floorplan means its inhabitants never feel cramped
Giuseppe Tagliabue

The apartment's innovative floorplan features a modest entry; large master bedroom with private bathroom and full bath tub; children's playroom/bedroom with elevated loft-bed; an additional two bedrooms with an adjoining shared bathroom with full bath tub; guest bathroom; large modern kitchen and an open living/dining area.

The architects included a gorgeous custom-made iron glass feature wall, which separates the kitchen from the open living and dining room. With the main source of natural light coming from the two large windows in the living area, the glass wall allows the light to flow through into the kitchen. On the opposite side of the kitchen, a glass door leads into a single bedroom, also allowing the light to flow through into this additional space.

The  glass feature wall separates the kitchen from the open living and dining room
Giuseppe Tagliabue

The kitchen is complete with beautiful granite benchtops and lots of integrated storage cupboards that take advantage of the home's tall ceilings. Built-in storage and furnishings are featured throughout the entire home, including floor-to-ceiling built-in wardrobes in all four bedrooms.

The children's playroom/bedroom boasts a custom-made wooden unit, complete with wardrobe and storage space. Additional storage can be found hidden within the wooden steps, which provide access to the elevated bed loft. This room in particular is designed to provide plenty of space for play or study, with enough extra room for additional bedding underneath the loft for guests.

The DMC apartment features a children’s playroom/bedroom with elevated loft-bed 
Giuseppe Tagliabue

Overall, the DMC Apartment is a surprisingly comfortable six room (excluding bathrooms) home, accommodating a large family of six or seven. The unconventional floorplan means its inhabitants never feel cramped, while clever space-saving furnishings take advantage of the home's tall ceilings, providing ample space for belongings and everyday living.

Source: Plus Ultra Studio via Archilovers

View gallery - 19 images
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4 comments
Mike_S
British "architects" do the same, anyway without such a beautiful effect. Maybe it is due to the marketing (houses aren't valued by area, but by bedrooms quantity). And you finish with bedroom where you place a bed and there is 1 square foot of free floor space. Shame.
Username
Curved corners are pretty but they don't maximize anything. The bathrooms locations is not optimal. In fact, looking at the floorplan I fail to see anything special about the whole layout.
paul314
Only in the US would an average of almost 200 sq ft (20 sq m) per room seem like miraculously tight use of space. The curved corners let the architects cheat the width of the hallways and entranceways down a bit without making things feel cramped.
amazed W1
Agree with Paul 314 - to be fair we use architects to create the optimum visual use of what space is available, but as Mike S says we don't expect them to forget about the utility of the spaces however nice they look. Some famous UK house builders create bedrooms in which you have to step over the bed to get to the other side, and as with this example, how the heck do you get six children to do their school homework without fitting a folding table in one of the lavatory, washroom or shower spaces?