When you're working with a limited amount of space, making the most of a room requires innovative thinking. One room in Paris demonstrates exactly that kind of approach. The former maid's room squeezes all the facilities of a full apartment into just 8 sq m (86 sq ft).
Designed by Kitoko Studio, the maid's room is housed in an Haussmann-period building that now functions as an apartment block in the 17th arrondissement (or district) of Paris. Maid's rooms were typically very small and rudimentary. After falling out of use for their initial purpose, they are now often used for other functions such as storage.
Kitoko's clients were in need of a living space for an au pair, but did not have space in their own apartment. As such, they turned to the former maid's room as a potential solution. Kitoko was tasked with developing the space into something less like a room and more like a self-contained apartment, so that the eventual au pair would be afforded some degree of independence. The result is a very efficient and clever use of space, as is the case with the tiny houses that Gizmag features.
The room features a staircase that pulls out of a lower cupboard and leads up to a compartment containing a single bed. The compartment is hidden behind sliding doors, which can be closed to hide it or to isolate it from daylight. It has its own internal light for reading or seeing in the dark. The staircase, meanwhile, doubles as a means for storage, with shelving built into the steps.
Like the staircase, a wardrobe and a table-cum-worktop both slide out from underneath the bed compartment. Two stools are stored underneath the table and can be easily removed for use or slotted back into place. An additional slide-out storage cupboard and a boiler cupboard also containing bookshelves are built into the space below the bed compartment.
At one end of the room, there is a kitchenette, with a fridge and a microwave below the worktop. The worktop can be lifted up to reveal a sink, or can remain flat to provide a space for food preparation. A small but fully functional wetroom, meanwhile, is hidden behind a door at the side of the room. The room manages to contain a toilet, shower and bathroom sink, despite its modest size.
The project was completed recently. The video below shows how space in the room is used.
Source: Kitoko Studio
