Spanisharchitectural firm Elii has recently transformed a tiny apartment inMadrid into a smart home filled with space-saving and multi-purposefurnishings. Getting its name from a Japanese manga series, the Yojigen Poketto home is a mere 33.6 sq m (361.7 sq ft) in size, but is full of hiddenstorage spaces and handy surprises.
"The'Yojigen Poketto' literally means '4D Pocket'," Elii architects tells New Atlas. "It is the pocket ofanime character Doraemon, from where he pulls amazing items from thefuture. We like to thinkthis space is full of openings and traps as a 'Yojigen Poketto'for the users of this space."
Thetiny home has been designed for one to two occupants and is organizedaround an L-shaped living unit. The wet zones, kitchen, laundry,bathroom, cupboards and storage spaces are all built into this singleunit, which gives room for an open central living space. The livingzone can be used for several purposes, such as dining, entertaining,studying or relaxing, and due to its open design, the home has theimpression of being larger and roomier than it actually is.
Inaddition, this core service station is designed over two distinctlevels, creating an elevated sleeping zone and a hidden bathroomarea. The bedroom can be closed off with a sliding curtain for a cozyand private atmosphere, while the bathroom that features a shower over a bath tub, toilet, basin and mirror and storage cupboard, is smartly tucked away atthe back of the unit. The elevated bedroom area isaccessible via three steps that can be used as seating and alsohide an abundance of storage space underneath.
"Thetwo elevations not only allow different atmospheres to be arranged,but also integrate additional functions in the house, such as a deepbathtub in the bathroom, a storage area under the bed, thusoptimizing every cubic meter of the house," says Elii. "Secrettrapdoors extend the storage space in the overhead areas. A portablestepladder/furniture item is used to overcome the difference inelevation, add storage spaces and double as small grandstands in theliving room."
Thehome also features a wall kitchen complete with a sink, oven, cooktop, hidden fridge, and bench area that also pops out and can betransformed into a dining table, work station or coffee table. Thereis also a hidden European laundry and a separated entrance area filledwith floor-to-ceiling mirrored cupboards.
"Thiswork is one of a series of projects of transformable domesticspaces," says Elii. "Theinside of the household is configured as a small 'domestic theater'where every day is enjoyed within a different stage.We believe these proposals are interesting not only because they savespace, but also because they increase the potentiality of theinhabitants' experience."
Inaddition to transforming small spaces into comfortable livingsolutions, Elii architectural firm is currently working on a childcare building in Madrid and has just completed a project called 'TheGhosts of Susie Sierra" for an exhibition called 'The Voices ofGPS" that is open in CentroCentro Cibeles (Madrid) until the 20th of May.
Source: Elii, ImagenSubliminal via Contemporist
